By Caitlyn Lentner
Branford High School Science Teacher Victoria Climie, who started her career as a zookeeper in Africa before entering the classroom twenty years ago, received the teacher of the year award for 2025 from the Branford Public Schools (BPS) district.
She began teaching at Branford High School in 2005 after working in Africa with a variety of species across the continent in the 1990s. What initially started as a zookeeping mission quickly became a lifelong passion for education.
Climie was recognized and given her award at the district’s convocation ceremony in August. The event typically kicks off the school year a few days before students return. Even though this award represents teachers and their work within the district, her award embodies more than just teaching.
Climie didn’t subscribe to the usual pathway to becoming a teacher. She worked as a zookeeper and research assistant in Madagascar, studying and caring for endangered primates, specifically the black-and-white ruffed lemur. She worked at a reintroduction program for the lemurs with the goal of reintroducing them into the wild due to their “critically endangered” status.
She described her favorite part of the day as the moment her field work ended: she would go to a small school and notice students continued to attend class even though their teachers stopped showing up after a government coup. She saw their curiosity and began to teach them.
“The only thing better than finding what you love, is getting others to love it too,” Climie wrote in a statement to The Buzz.
Only then did she realize how teaching was in alignment with both her personal values and journey: teaching is an act of service and grit.
Climie began teaching at Branford High School in the Horizons, now ATLAS, program for alternative education. She now teaches a variety of science courses including Anatomy & Physiology, ECE Medical Terminology, and other biology-centered classes.
“What I realized is that for many students, learning has to be deeply individualized,” Climie said. “Every student’s circumstances, motivations, and needs are different. I prioritize relationships first. Building trust and having fun sets the foundation for progress and success.”
When presented with her teacher of the year award, her initial reaction was humility.
“[It] didn’t feel like a personal achievement, [but instead] a mosaic of all the teachers who have influenced me,” Climie added.
“All those that were nominated were so deserving,” said BHS principal Lee Panagoulias. “Mrs. Climie is such a dynamic, student-centered educator who values continuous improvement and a growth mindset.”
Climie was informed of her award a few months before the convocation ceremony on August 26. Instead of immediately sharing the news with her colleagues and within the district, she waited to break the news until the convocation.
Her daughter, a University of Delaware graduate and new elementary school teacher herself, was among the sea of Branford educators and staff, watching on as her mother was presented with her award.
Climie will be recognized for her award in December at Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year Banquet in Hartford with her husband and other awardees.
Buzz Chief Reporter Owen Lentner contributed to this story.
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