Mr. Joe Sampugnaro '87 and Mr. Drew Hudspeth Honored as Teachers of the Year

Congratulations to English Teacher Mr. Joe Sampugnaro '87 and Science Teacher Mr. Andrew Hudspeth who were selected by their peers as Gonzaga’s Veteran Teacher of the Year and New Teacher of the Year, respectively. The awards recognize teachers from each Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Washington who “embrace teaching as a ministry, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and demonstrate respect for the Catholic identity and the charism of his/her school.” They were recognized last Friday, October 28th at the annual Professional Development Day organized by the High School Principals Association of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Below are the citations that were printed in the HSPDA program, recognizing these teachers and celebrating their accomplishments and commitment to Catholic education. Congratulations to both!

Veteran
Joe Sampugnaro, Gonzaga Class of 1987, has been working at Gonzaga since 2001. Joe began his tenure at Gonzaga as an Assistant Dean of Students before transitioning full time to the classroom. Joe is currently an English teacher and has served Gonzaga well in many capacities including, but not limited to: English department chair, Curriculum Committee Chair, Academic Council member, baseball coach, retreat and service leader and club moderator for multiple clubs over the years. His latest club duties include the STUDS (Start Up and Development) Club – Gonzaga’s entrepreneur club on campus.  His teaching style is collaborative, generous, and positive. This is a colleague who always asks, “How can I better serve the school community?”  A person of tremendous dedication and limitless patience, he is always welcoming and filled with positive energy; he has a calm, cool demeanor and understands the joy of teaching. Gonzaga is blessed by his presence. Joe is also the proud father of two Gonzaga alums, James ’22 and Joseph ’19. 

Novice
Andrew Hudspeth arrived at Gonzaga in the fall of 2021 as a Science teacher. Since then, he has immersed himself in the life of the school. Drew currently teaches biology and chemistry. Last year he led an effort, along with some Gonzaga students, to initiate a collaborative Science Fair with the Washington Jesuit Academy. The goals of the event were to introduce WJA students to lab science, create a new leadership opportunity for Gonzaga students, and foster scientific growth in both the WJA and Gonzaga communities. Gonzaga students paired up with WJA students to develop a science project based on their combined interests. Starting as early as November, students met with their partners in open lab sessions at Gonzaga to plan their experimental design, collect data, analyze results, and draw meaningful conclusions. Drew has quickly become an integral part of our community and we are grateful to God that he found his way to Eye Street! 
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Celebrating 200 Years of Jesuit Education in the Nation's Capital