Shaler Area is proud to announce teacher Steve Balsomico was named semifinalist for the 2020 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.

Steve Balsomico is a Japanese language teacher at Shaler Area High School and was chosen by the selection committee of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National State Teachers of the Year, with the guidance and assistance of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to advance to the semifinalist round of the state Teacher of the Year selection process. 

Mr. Balsomico has been an educator for 12 years and teaching at Shaler Area for the past eight years. In addition to teaching students about the Japanese language, Mr. Balsomico provides a wide variety of opportunities for students to experience Japanese culture. These experiences have included hosting native Japanese assistant teachers in his classroom through the Laurasian Institution’s Language Education Assistance Program as well as inviting individuals from the local Japanese community to share various cultural experiences, such as traditional a tea ceremony, traditional dance, Japanese calligraphy, and Shogi, a Japanese chess game. Mr. Balsomico also has arranged Japanese homestays and advanced language and cultural studies for Shaler Area students as well as brought Japanese students to Shaler Area in a cultural exchange. 

He has a bachelor’s degree from Edinboro University and a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. Additionally, Mr. Balsomico completed the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia program and is a Cultural Ambassador for the City of Joyo, Kyoto, Japan.

The Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year program celebrates excellence in teaching, honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the young people of Pennsylvania, and selects a nominee for the National Teacher of the Year award.

Since 2013, Shaler Area has had 13 individual teachers recognized as state Teacher of the Year semifinalists, with some being recognized as semifinalists in multiple years. Shaler Area has had two teachers named finalists in the state Teacher of the Year program: high school teachers Greg Mason (2018) and Jade Leung (2016).