By: Julie Huss
Published: Thursday, November 6, 2008
Derry News

DERRY — A veteran educator took top honors and was named the Derry Wal-Mart's Teacher of the Year for 2008.

Barbara Dupont, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at West Running Brook Middle School, received the award in a surprise ceremony held in her classroom Oct. 28.

Derry Wal-Mart personnel manager Anna Ludwig made the presentation, along with staff and students.

Ludwig said the local Wal-Mart accepts ballots and nominations for outstanding teachers.

In Dupont's case, Ludwig said the winning nomination letter came from an anonymous source, but the words heralded the Derry teacher and all she meant to her school, her peers and her students.

"Barbara Dupont is very much like the other excellent teachers, but she sets herself apart and is determined to make a difference in the lives of children," the letter stated. "She stays positive and is an inspiration for everyone that knows her."

Dupont's work at West Running Brook goes beyond the regular school day. She heads the school's Kids Care Club and helps children learn to be better citizens by helping others. She led a push to raise money to donate $1,000 to the new Iraq/Afghanistan monument in Derry's MacGregor Park. Her summer vacations give her time to continue the learning process by creating an interactive Web site so her students could communicate with her and learn about travels abroad.

"(Teaching) it's a job I love and what keeps me going," Dupont said.

"It couldn't have gone to a better person," West Running Brook office staffer Judy Hatch. "She's a very special lady."

Dupont received a $100 Wal-Mart gift card, and the school received a check for $1,000 as part of the Teacher of the Year honor.

Since Wal-Mart's Teacher of the Year program began in 1995, more than 30,000 outstanding teachers have been honored and more than $29 million has been contributed to schools nationwide. This year, Wal-Mart plans to provide nearly $5 million to schools across the country.