Windsor Public Schools is proud to announce that Joseph Oblon has been named Teacher of the Year for the 2027 academic year. For the past 11 years, he has been a steady and dedicated presence in our science department, where he teaches 9th-grade Integrated Science, AP Environmental Science, and Sustainable Agriculture. Joseph has graduated with Master’s of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Connecticut and has dedicated 11 years to teaching Windsor High School students.
Bringing Science to Life
Mr. Oblon’s main teaching philosophy is that science must feel relevant to the lives his students actually live in order for them to succeed academically and enjoy the subject. When new curriculum standards were introduced, he chose to design a custom curriculum from scratch: “While the outer space-focused curriculum would excite some, I instead advocated to develop our own curriculum in house that would appeal to a larger population of students. I lead the curriculum work to reorganize the standards into units centered on real-world applications, including how cell phones function, the physics behind protective equipment like helmets and phone cases, and the environmental impact of energy production and fossil fuel use,” says Joseph Oblon. This practical approach clearly works, as evidenced by his AP Environmental Science (APES) class last year, in which 100% of his students passed the national exam. Several of Mr. Oblon’s APES students decided to seek a degree in Environmental Science upon graduating from Windsor High School.
Innovation and Hands-on Learning
One of Mr. Oblon's most visible contributions is the transformation of a former storage room into a modern Aquaponics Lab. He secured over $36,000 in grants to build a space with 1,000 grow sites and fish tanks for sustainable fertilization. In this lab, students in his Sustainable Agriculture course learn how to manage pests, grow their own food, and help the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. Recently, Mr. Oblon’s class set a record by producing over 100 bags of salad in a single quarter. Many students who attended Joseph Oblon’s class are already using this knowledge to start their own home gardens.
A Leader in the Classroom and Community
In the classroom, Mr. Oblon focuses on building a strong community through "thinking groups". By regularly changing seating and group assignments, he ensures that students learn alongside every peer in the room, encouraging them to solve problems together rather than relying solely on the teacher. Mr. Oblon ensures, “Across all three courses I teach, the use of thinking groups provides opportunities for students to effectively communicate, think critically, and problem-solve.”
Outside of Windsor Public Schools, Joseph builds strong community as a Director at the Meriden Youth Theater at YMCA, a program serving over 300 children. He is also a theater technician for Meriden Public Schools and a vocalist with the community choir Accidental Harmony.
We are incredibly grateful for the energy, care, and integrity Joseph Oblon brings to our schools every day. He leads by example and helps our students become informed, responsible members of the community. Please join us in congratulating him on this well-deserved achievement!
