Stratford 2026 Teacher of the Year September Baraquin.

September Baraquin is one of those individuals you never forget once you meet her. Not just because of her unique first name, but because she’s the kind of person who is always checking in to make sure those around her are okay and are getting the support they need. So, it should come as no surprise that during the course of her 25-year career as a music teacher at Wooster Middle School in Stratford, she’s been nominated three times for her district’s Teacher of the Year. The third time was the charm, and Baraquin recently was named Stratford’s Teacher of the Year for 2026.

Baraquin suspected something was up when she was asked, with short notice, to assemble a 72-member, 7^th– and 8^th-grade chorus to perform Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” at a community assembly during the same week she was scheduled to be interviewed by the selection committee for Teacher of the Year. “Concert day is about the kids, not me, so I was hesitant to go to the interview,” she said. “My job is to make my students feel safe, seen and secure, and the day of a performance requires me to be the best version of myself so I can give that to the kids.”

She was appreciative of the opportunity to be interviewed for Teacher of the Year honors, so she found a way to do both. The morning of the concert, unbeknownst to Baraquin, her husband, Stephen, and twin sons, Aaron and Stephen Jr., were backstage when it was announced that she had been selected as Teacher of the Year.

For Baraquin, it’s recognition of a journey that began when she told her 8^th-grade music teacher that she wanted to be a music teacher like her one day. As a student, Baraquin first played clarinet in 5th grade and then flute, and participated in musicals, band and chorus, and took every possible music class she could in high school, she recalled.

When it was time to look at colleges, she didn’t want to burden her parents with the financial responsibilities of a private university, so she focused on the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. “Western Connecticut State University felt like home when I toured,” she said. “Dr. Tuvall was playing piano in his office during Open House and chatting with us when we came in. I got a good feeling about it and it turned out that the professors were just amazing. They really cared about you as a person and it created a family environment.”

In 2019, September Baraquin brought a group of David Wooster Middle School students to perform in the premiere of Josh Sparkman’s “I Sing and Sing” – with the New Haven Chorale at Yale’s Woolsey Hall.

Admitted to WCSU as a clarinet player, Baraquin reauditioned during her sophomore year as a voice student. “I didn’t know if I could sing,” she said. “I was very shy and unsure of myself, but Dr. Margaret Astrup was just incredible. She knew how to push me and helped me overcome my insecurity. She ended up developing my love of opera.” Not only did Astrup support Baraquin as a WCSU student and after her 1994 graduation with a B.S. in Music Education-Voice, Astrup worked with her in private lessons and encouraged her to participate in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition, during which she was named runner-up her first year. Astrup also suggested that Baraquin participate in the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria.

“I thought, what can I bring back to my students about what I love about music from Austria,” Baraquin said. By this time, she had already been a general music teacher in Stratford for several years before switching to teaching the middle school chorus. “It’s important to me to get to know my students and develop relationships with them,” Baraquin said. “They are eager to learn and will eat whatever you feed them, and this is my opportunity to build the foundation of their love for music. My goal every year is to teach them as much as they teach me. It’s been a remarkable journey and you can’t put a value on what’s in my heart.”

Teacher of the Year September Baraquin with her sons Stephen Jr. and Aaron, and her husband Stephen.

When it was time to further her education with a master’s degree, Baraquin didn’t hesitate to return to her alma mater. “I chose WCSU for my Master’s in Music Education because I already knew the faculty and it was like coming home for me,” she said. “I even received independent study credit at the start of my graduate program for the time I had spent in Austria. I was thrilled to be able to continue to study with Dr. Astrup and with Dr. Kevin Isaacs, who taught me so much about presenting music. It’s more than the notes on the paper, and it’s so important to share the personal connection and analogies. I learned how vital it is to communicate to bring the music to the level where it needs to be. It’s all about shared experiences with the students.”

Now, Baraquin said she uses the students’ vernacular to describe her teaching style: “I don’t teach ‘mid,’ I teach ‘fire,’” she said. “So many studies demonstrate the value of the arts to keep us healthy and well, and in my own life, opera has helped me heal from a difficult situation. You have to always reinvent yourself every so often so you can grow. I try to impress this upon my students in the same way that my WCSU professors, Dr. Astrup and Dr. Isaacs, helped shape me. WCSU is home to me, and I had so many good experiences there.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.