Nora Mocarski, SYC ’02, is a distinguished educator who has been recognized as the 2025 Connecticut History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Established in 2004, this prestigious award honors one exemplary K–12 history teacher annually from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. territories.
Mocarski holds a Sixth Year Certificate in educational leadership from Southern Connecticut State University, a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies from Wesleyan University (James Madison Fellowship, 2007), and a Master of Science degree in educational leadership from Central Connecticut State University. While at Ohio University, she earned a Division I softball scholarship and was a Conference All-Academic honoree.
Currently Social Studies Department chair at Canton Middle/High School, she has led programmatic expansions, including new AP courses and Model UN integration, while maintaining a 92% AP U.S. History pass rate over 16 years. Her honors include Canton Public Schools’ District Teacher of the Year (2019–20) and the DAR “Outstanding Teacher of American History Award” (2014).
Beyond the classroom, she serves on the Winchester Board of Education, has evaluated social studies programs, and has contributed to Connecticut’s state standards. She will receive a $1,000 honorarium and historical resources from the Gilder Lehrman Institute.
Mocarski is the third alumnus from Southern to receive this accolade in recent years. In 2024, Rhonan Mokriski, M.S. ’96, an educator at the Salisbury School, was named the Connecticut History Teacher of the Year. In 2020, Federico Fiondella, M.S. ’03, 6th Yr. ’18, a teacher at North Haven High School, was named Connecticut History Teacher of the Year.
