Hopkinton High School’s Doug Scott was named one of 12 semifinalists for 2023 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. The award eventually went to Danielle Charbonneau of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

Scott won a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) in 2020. As a result of that award, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education invited him into the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year process for 2023, he explained.

“This recognition reaffirms the strong work that students engage in within my classroom,” Scott shared. “As a teacher, you do your best to make intelligent decisions that will benefit all of your students, so it is nice to see that the work that you have done as a teacher is making a difference and is appreciated.”

Scott describes his teaching style as “a facilitator of learning.”

“I provide students with the opportunities to explore new processes and applied technical skills,” he shared. “I consider myself a coach.”

Scott indicated there are many people who have influenced him, including some in Hopkinton. He stated that when he was teaching in Natick, he was especially affected by three individuals.

“Dan O’Leary taught me many technical skills, Dr. Richard Cotter taught me about classroom management and Dr. Leigh Estabrooks of Lemelson-MIT taught me how to connect my classroom to the outside world,” he stated. “You never stop learning, and every time I turn around I find something I am unsure of that I have to figure out in order for a student to become successful. The key is to say, ‘I don’t know … yet.’ ”

HHS students Merit semifinalists

Hopkinton High School seniors Neil Abraham, Eli Calcagni, Albert Chen, Margaret Joyce and Jeffrey Wang recently were named as semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among 16,000 semifinalists nationwide vying for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered in the spring. …

Hopkinton’s Aidan Wech, a junior computer science major at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was a member of a student team that recently completed an intense research project titled “LEI IQP E22.” At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to address an important societal need or issue.