Belmont High's Hurtubise Honored for Teaching Excellence by Harvard Club

Belmont High School's Lisa Hurtubise is "flipping" her classroom this year. Not literally – desks won't be on the ceiling, as such – but educationally. Taking after the popular Khan Academy approach, Hurtubise is piloting a new "Flip the Classroom" for teaching English where her students will learn the basics of the subject at home working from videos. When they return to the classroom the next day, students will spend their class time in more detailed discussions.    

That is just one way Hurtubise, who teaches English 12 and 10 Honors, has been seeking innovative ways to teach her classes and why she was recently awarded the Harvard Club 2013 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Harvard Club of Boston.  

One of only four high school teachers in New England to be selected as a recipient of the award this year, Hurtubise joined approximately 200 student winners of the Harvard Club’s Prize Book Award at a celebratory breakfast early in October at the Harvard Club of Boston. 

Hurtubise and the other teachers selected were recognized for "their ability to inspire curiosity and excellence among their students and to perform their role daily in a manner that is clearly above and beyond the call of duty," according to Lou DiBeradinis of the Harvard Club Prize Book Committee.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri and having lived in Texas, Pennsylvania and England before settling in Massachusetts, Hurtubise has been teaching English at Belmont High School for the past nine years.