{"id":1383,"date":"2025-07-02T14:26:38","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T14:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2025-10-21T14:12:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:12:44","slug":"brian-betesh-danburys-2025-teacher-of-the-year-finds-life-has-a-funny-way-of-providing-full-circle-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/2025\/07\/02\/brian-betesh-danburys-2025-teacher-of-the-year-finds-life-has-a-funny-way-of-providing-full-circle-moments\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Betesh, Connecticut’s 2026 Teacher of the Year and Danbury\u2019s 2025 Teacher of the Year, finds life has a funny way of providing \u201cfull circle\u201d moments"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"2026

2026 CT Teacher of the Year Brian Betesh and his daughter Avery are congratulated by Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias and National Education Association-Danbury President Erin Daly. (Photo credit: CEA)<\/p><\/div>\n

2025 Danbury Teacher of the Year Brian Betesh has added recently to the list of distinguished educator honors he has received by being named the 2026 Connecticut Teacher of the Year<\/strong>. The award has been considered one of Connecticut\u2019s highest education honors since 1952, and Betesh will go on to represent Connecticut as a finalist for 2026 National Teacher of the Year.<\/p>\n

Betesh was informed of his Connecticut Teacher of the Year selection at a surprise assembly in October 2025 at Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury, which he attended as a child and where he has taught sixth grade Social Studies for 19 years. The assembly at which he received the award was the latest \u201cfull circle\u201d moment in his life, which until now had been when Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, a former classmate growing up, joined Betesh on the stage of the Danbury High School auditorium at the 2025 Danbury Teacher of the Year Award<\/a> ceremony \u2014 a stage on which Betesh last stood as the host of his Senior Talent Show 24 years earlier. \u201cI knew going into the ceremony that I was one of three finalists for the award because I had been interviewed by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cara Casamiro, but I did not know I had won until she said my name,\u201d Betesh said. \u201cMayor Alves then presented an award from the city and spoke about our time in school together. Being back up on that stage under these circumstances was pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"(l-r):

(l-r): Dr. Kristy Zaleta, Brian Betesh and his family at the Danbury Teacher of the Year award ceremony.<\/p><\/div>\n

Betesh grew up in Danbury, attending Mill Ridge Elementary and Intermediate, Rogers Park and DHS. As one of the first in his family to attend college, he decided to put some distance between himself and his hometown, opting to attend Eastern Connecticut State University to study history and Social Sciences as an undergraduate and the University of Bridgeport for his master\u2019s degree in Secondary Education. He returned to Danbury to teach at Rogers Park beginning in 2007.<\/p>\n

When an opportunity presented itself for the new teacher to earn a second master\u2019s degree at Western Connecticut State University<\/a>, Betesh decided it was time to enhance his education in his hometown, and it provided another full-circle moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was teaching Ancient Civilizations as a new history teacher when I learned that WCSU was offering a Teaching American History grant to teachers in Newtown, New Milford and Danbury,\u201d he said. My grandfather was a historian and loved American history, and that inspired me to want to enroll. I learned so much from WestConn\u2019s professors, and also from my classmates, who were teachers in either Danbury, Newtown or New Milford.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rogers

Rogers Park Middle School’s 6th-grade social studies class visited Mayor Roberto Alves at Danbury City Hall, accompanied by teachers Brian Betesh and Emily Lopes.<\/p><\/div>\n

Betesh has taught at Rogers Park for his entire 19-year teaching career, and while he\u2019s proud of the knowledge he has passed down to his students, what he\u2019s most excited to reflect on is what he\u2019s done outside of the classroom to make Rogers Park a more welcoming, inclusive and positive place to work and study.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love working to get things done for the school,\u201d Betesh said. \u201cI love the students, the staff and the diversity. It\u2019s my community.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Betesh, some of his inspiration was borne from adversity. When the schools went to online teaching during the pandemic, Betesh noticed that three female students would remain logged in to his virtual classroom to chat about the current state of the world and what it would feel like when everyone was finally able to return to in-person classes. From that, a club called Park 21<\/a> was created, with an edgy name to reflect \u201cpark\u201d in the school\u2019s name and \u201c21\u201d from its street address. The goal was to find a way to make everyone feel more comfortable about returning to school, and to make it more welcoming and exciting. One of the favorite club activities has been to \u201cflip\u201d classrooms so they feel more like home. Other teachers give permission to have their classroom \u201cflipped,\u201d and Betesh\u2019s club members \u2013 20 or more \u2013 have painted six classrooms, added lighting and bookshelves and transformed the spaces to be more comfortable.<\/p>\n

Another inspiration was \u201cStress Less\u201d carts, 26 of which have been created and placed throughout the school containing stress balls, fidget toys, journals, puzzles and colored pencils, to assist students who may be having a less-than-ideal day.<\/p>\n

\"Danbury

Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves returned the favor by visiting Brian Betesh in Room 207, the classroom they shared as 6th graders at Rogers Park Middle School.<\/p><\/div>\n

But it\u2019s not all fun and games for Betesh\u2019s students: there\u2019s also a lot of learning taking place in unconventional ways. He created a podcast<\/a> for the tech-savvy sixth graders, who are actively interviewing teachers, administrators and community members. Initially, 18 episodes were taped after school, but at present, there are more than 100 episodes featuring student-directed interviews with the chiefs of police and the fire department, local businesspeople, TV reporters and sports analysts, and even Sen. Chris Murphy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the project I\u2019m most proud of,\u201d Betesh said. \u201cThe students do all the research and work for these interviews, and it\u2019s teaching them collaboration and connecting them to their community. This really opens their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betesh hopes to take the project a step further by creating an innovation lab\/maker space\/recording studio in the school next year. \u201cWe have to continually update and modernize the spaces that these students have available to them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it at Rogers Park. I want to keep creating new things to help the school keep raising the bar. I want to change people\u2019s perceptions and how they look at us,\u201d Betesh said. \u201cI\u2019m able to do these things because of my principal, fellow WCSU alumna Dr. Kristy Zaleta. She empowers me to do what I think is right for our school community. She\u2019s an innovative leader and I don\u2019t take that for granted.\u201d Zaleta recently was appointed K-12 Chief of Schools for Danbury.<\/p>\n

Betesh said the local community also plays a large role in what he is able to accomplish at Rogers Park. \u201cA lot of these projects are able to be accomplished because of DonorsChoose<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cTeachers post their projects and seek local funding. Almost $500,000 has been raised in total so far, and $33,000 of that was for my projects. It\u2019s a creative way to find people who support what we are doing and want to help us out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Brian

Brian Betesh was voted by Rogers Park Middle School students as being the teacher with the Most School Spirit. Here’s his yearbook photo for that award.<\/p><\/div>\n

It truly is all about the students and his colleagues as far as Betesh is concerned, but neither group is willing to let him shy away from the notoriety his contributions to the school have merited. During the recent Spirit Week-Twin Day at Rogers Park, 90 percent of the staff showed up dressed as his \u201ctwin\u201d \u2013 wearing T-shirts from his Park 21 club and name tags with his name. And on the last day of the school year, all the staff wore custom T-shirts that said, \u201cBe Your Betesh Self,\u201d a statement made every day in the morning announcements during the school year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought I\u2019d be a middle school teacher,\u201d Betesh said. \u201cEven 19 years in, I feel like I\u2019m literally just getting started. It\u2019s cool that I started my education here in Danbury and came full circle to get my second master\u2019s degree at WCSU. It was great to be on campus and explore something right in my backyard. I hope to bring my students to check it out next.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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