A 6th grade bilingual teacher has been named Danbury Public Schools Teacher of the Year. Emily Lopes has been a teacher in Danbury for 22 years and currently works at Rogers Park Middle School. Throughout her career, district officials say Lopes has shown her ability to connect with her students and build long-lasting relationships with families.  Superintendent Kevin Walston says over the last two school years, teachers have been expected to not just teach, but manage the aftershocks of the pandemic, like trauma, learning loss, and social isolation.  Lopes is 1 of 20 Danbury Public School educators nominated for Teacher of the Year. She will go on to represent Danbury in the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Program. Lopes will also be honored by the Board of Education on June 8th, during their 7PM biweekly meeting.