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Winslow Township honors student STEM projects and names Tina Marie Stanfa district Teacher of the Year
Summary
At its May 27 board meeting, Winslow Township School District showcased middle-school STEM projects funded by a Cal Ripken/Exelon Foundation grant and recognized school-level Teachers of the Year; Tina Marie Stanfa (School 4) was named 2026 District Teacher of the Year.
Winslow Township School District highlighted student STEM work and honored faculty across the district at its regular board meeting on Wednesday evening at the high school auditorium.
Lisonbee Sinatra, a coding and game design teacher, told the board her class received a 2025 grant from the Cal Ripken Foundation and Atlantic City Electric/Exelon Foundation that supplied four 3D printers, filament, Sphero Bolt robots and drones. “They even provided tons of filament because all of those little costs add up,” Sinatra said, describing how students used Tinkercad to design three-dimensional buildings and Python to program robots to follow routes on a classroom map.
Student presenters demonstrated printed models and programmed robots that navigated a model neighborhood. Student Xavier Holmes said the project taught three-dimensional design and modeling; classmate Quinn Miller called the work “exciting” and said it required problem solving and teamwork.
The board also recognized music and classroom achievements across the district. Winslow Township High School named Claudia Rifkin teacher of the year for her two decades of service and curriculum leadership. Tracy Irvin was honored as the middle-school television production teacher of the year, and multiple elementary and middle-school teachers — including Nathan Caldwell (School 6), Brian Dixon (School 5), Tina Marie Stanfa (School 4), Tyesha Larnell Jeffries (School 3), Christy Peters (School 2) and Joan McGuire (School 1) — were recognized by principals and administrators for service and student impact.
The district announced that Tina Marie Stanfa, School 4’s elementary music teacher, would receive the 2026 District Teacher of the Year award, a certificate, a nameplate and a $500 classroom supply gift card. “The 2026 district teacher of the year is Mrs. Tina Marie Stanfa, School 4, elementary music teacher,” the superintendent announced.
Administrators and board members repeatedly praised the students’ work and the teachers’ contributions, noting the projects’ hands-on learning and connections to technology and engineering careers. The presentations and awards preceded routine board business that included committee reports, approvals of minutes and several administrative reports.
