Abigail Marks entered a conference room at Newtown High School on May 24 with a notebook ready for what she thought would be a meeting, but instead she found a room full of her colleagues waiting to surprise her with the news that she has been named the 2017-18 Newtown Public Schools' Teacher of the Year.

Ms Marks has been an English teacher at NHS since the spring of 2004 and she became the English Department chair in 2014. Ms Marks received the Joseph V. Whitehead Educator of Distinction Award in 2016, and throughout her tenure at NHS she has served on numerous committees, including New England Association of Schools and Colleges committee and the K-12 English Language Arts committee.

In her essay submitted for the Teacher of the Year award, Ms Marks wrote, "As much as we teach students about the world around them, we need to also help them to discover what is within them."

In a statement about the news, Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, said, "[Ms Marks] is an extraordinary teacher that represents the Newtown Public Schools with distinction. I am certain that her application will be well received at the state level."

Dr Erardi was one of the people who surprised Ms Marks at NHS on May 24. Ms Marks was ushered into the room before she could become suspicious about the closed curtains or whispers inside. Dr Erardi presented flowers to Ms Marks as she entered to a cheer of "Surprise!"

Dr Erardi said Ms Marks was chosen from a "very competitive pool" of award applicants.

"Congratulations to our 2017-18 Newtown Teacher of the Year," said Dr Erardi to a round of applause for Ms Marks.

Looking around her, Ms Marks said she owes "everything to the people that I work with."

Sharing that she was at NHS when Ms Marks was first hired, NHS Principal Lorrie Rodrigue said, "It is so well-deserved, I can't even tell you... We just couldn't be prouder."

Speaking on behalf of the Teacher of the Year committee, Sandy Hook Elementary School Assistant Principal Tim Napolitano said everything Ms Marks has done for the district and her students "really shows."