Donna Griggs, a Biology and Environmental Science teacher, was awarded the 2022 HHS Teacher of the Year Award earlier this school year. In her 14th year of teaching at HHS, she has shown to be a passionate and caring educator always striving to improve her students’ understanding of biology. 

“Actively pursuing opportunities for professional development on a regular basis, Ms. Griggs is known for encouraging students to reach for their own personal learning goals and examine their executive functioning skills,” stated a nominator for Griggs. 

Before arriving at Hillsborough High School, Griggs received her Masters in Public Health and Infectious Disease and taught five years prior at another school. She chose to teach high school as she has found that high school students are “easier to relate to and connect with”. Her favorite topic to teach is genetics—the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics.

Many of her students have faced learning gaps following the pandemic and Griggs has found that it has changed how she teaches her students. To overcome these gaps, she adds scaffolds into her lessons, a small review of previous lessons and knowledge required to proceed with a new topic. Noticing a domino effect from COVID, she also adds skill reviews and provides extra help for her students. She has found that every year the students are different and that she needs to mix up her teaching to cater to their needs

Additionally, Griggs’ daughters have attended and curretly attend HHS. Through their experiences, she has found that the combined perspectives have provided her a deeper understanding of the relative workload she should give her students, and how to be as clear as possible to her students. She is also an active marching band parent within HHS.

Griggs was involved in NHS, when it was still an active club at the school. Now she heads Days for Girls and Girl Up Club, in which members discuss issues and events significant to women. Additionally, she is the advisor to the Photography Club. 

Last Summer, Griggs attended a week-long QUEST seminar at Princeton University. She also serves as a model for pre-service teachers, as she is hosting a student teacher this spring from the Princeton University Prep program.

“She meets quarterly with each student to set and revisit goals,” an anonymous colleague said. “She also integrates relevant phenomena into her lessons to engage a wide variety of students.:

An “expert, collaborator, and leader”, Griggs most certainly deserves the title of Teacher of the Year, and will continue to have a lasting impact on this school and her students for years to come.