When Noah Lira ’18 was growing up in Sandown, NH, he and a group of high school friends were talking about what they wanted to do when they got older. Lira was a good student but wasn’t sure what was next for him. That conversation stayed with him and ended up being the start of something special.
“One friend said he wanted to be a social studies teacher,” Lira says. “It never occurred to me that teaching would be something I would be interested in doing, but that answer stuck with me.
“(Later) I thought of the classes I was successful at and interested in and social studies always came up. During my senior year in high school, I took a teacher prep course at Timberlane High School and I fell in love instantly. I realized it was something I could do and would see through.”
Those two instances have paid off for both Lira’s students and co-workers. His students get a passionate educator who connects with all levels of learners while other teachers feed off his enthusiasm, be it as a teacher, mentor, or member of committees.
For his accomplishments during the 2021–22 school year at Franklin High School, Lira, who moved on to Salem High School this year, was recognized with the New Hampshire Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award given by the New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies (NHCSS).
Carrie Charette, who was his principal last year, nominated Lira. She explains that in her 20-plus years as an educator, she hasn’t seen another teacher with such vigor to reach students and be involved in the school and community.
“He is so engaging with students at all levels. Every student in his space was actively engaged,” says Charette, now interim principal at Elm Street Middle School in Nashua, NH. “Even though he is a relatively new teacher and is still figuring out how to run his classroom he didn’t have kids leaving or getting kicked out. He formed relationships with every student. They wanted to come to his classroom.”
Charette added that in only his second year, Lira, along with another teacher, noticed certain test scores were falling. Lira pointed to students taking English only one semester and starting the school day too early as prime reasons. The pair researched, ran meetings, and presented in front of committees and the school board to get changes made that improved scores.
Lira was extremely surprised when Charette informed him of the award. Being only in his fourth year of teaching and a relative newbie at 26 years old, he figured more experienced teachers would be recognized. “This award seemed like it would be something I would get for career accolades, and I was still green for all intents and purposes,” he explains. “They picked a teacher from a school of 250 students and the second-poorest town in the entire state. I was very humbled and happy to see they considered some of those factors.”
NHCSS board member Karl Hubner was on the committee that chose the teacher of the year, and he had worked with Lira at Franklin. He saw greatness right from the start.
“Certain people have it, to teach and be good at it,” says Hubner. “In his first year, he would come across the hall to my room and would say this or that didn’t go well. He wanted to get better. A first-year teacher is generally a bad teacher. Noah was a great first-year teacher because he progressed so quickly and worked hard to get better.”
Lira credits, among other things, his Plymouth State teachers and internships, which set a foundation and understanding of what it takes to stand in front of a classroom.
“Noah winning this award points to the strength of our program,” says Professor John Krueckeberg, Lira’s former advisor. “We feel it is one of strongest in the state for preparing social studies teachers.”
