Mass. Honors 2013 Teacher Of The Year Winner

Kathleen Turner, a Sharon High School French teacher, has been named Massachusetts' 2013 teacher of the year.

Turner and other top teachers were honored at a State House ceremony Monday attended by Gov. Deval Patrick and state education officials.

Turner was praised for helping build Sharon High School's French program, including taking students to Paris during spring break, planning trips to Quebec City, and establishing an exchange program with a school in Rouen, France.

Also Monday, Richard Houston, a teacher at Harwich High School, was named the 2012 Massachusetts history teacher of the year.

Houston requires his students attend the annual Town Meeting and write an essay about a warrant article.

Awards were also presented to winners and finalists of the 2011 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.