Students, faculty and Sigona's family announced that he was Derby's teacher of the year.
DERBY – When about a dozen students, faculty and family burst into Hunter Sigona’s Italian class earlier this month to tell him he was Derby Public Schools’ Teacher of the year, the 29-year-old educator was shocked – and a little bit weirded out.
“I am very bad at receiving good news or praise. My first reaction was ‘Please let the ground open and swallow me whole’,” he joked.
Sigona, 29, has only been teaching at Derby High School since November 2021, but colleagues said he’s made an immense contribution to the school.
He organized this year’s trip to Italy. He’s dual certified in Italian and music, so he’s helped out the school’s music program, too. He’s taken students to the Metropolitan Opera House to watch Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco.”
He coordinated bocce games at the Sons & Daughters of Italy in east Derby. He teaches five Italian classes at the school, including one where students can get up to six credits at the University of Connecticut.
“Mr. Sigona exemplifies what it means to be an educator,” said Derby High School Principal Jennifer Olson.
Sigona is from Trumbull and a graduate of Trumbull High School and Fairfield University, where he double majored in music and Italian.
He always knew he wanted to teach.
Sigona (far right) organized a class trip to Italy in April.
“My mother was a teacher. She taught in Bridgeport for 34 years. My grandfather was the president of the board of education in Bridgeport for about 25 years, so education was always in the house, it was always being talked about. Its importance was always being stressed,” Sigona said.
He held long-term substitute teaching positions in Meriden and Trumbull before landing the gig in Derby.
Sigona said Derby High School is different because of its small size.
“Coming from Trumbull High School, there were 2,300 kids,” he said. “My graduating class was 575 kids. Here, the whole building is about 400.”
Sigona said the size allows students to get the support they need.
“The sense of community in the building is very strong. At the end of the day it’s a building full of people who get along and have common interests. The staff in the building wants what is best for students. That is undeniable. And I don’t just mean academically. The students’ social and emotional needs are equally important. Often you have to address those needs first, because without that, education is never going to happen,” he said.
Sigona was a key figure in a Derby High School trip to Italy during the April break. Eleven students went with five chaperones.
It was the first trip of its kind since about 2017, Sigona said. It took about two years of planning and fundraising to pull off.
“I felt that a trip like this was something that, from a cultural standpoint, needed to happen. Students need to have that type of experience,” he said.
The group went to Florence, Pisa, Pompeii, Rome, and several other spots, according to a write up in the Derby High School newspaper.
Sigona said his fondest memory wasn’t necessarily the landmarks – it was seeing his students put their academics to work in their real lives.
At the airport, a student read the Italian word for “customs” and pointed the group in the right direction.
“They would go to a store, and they knew how to order something. They knew the words for different foods,” Sigona said. “In my head I’m saying ‘Yes! They learned!’”
Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway said that Sigona’s enthusiasm is contagious.
“Whether it’s through engaging instruction or his ability to connect with students beyond the lesson and beyond the classroom Mr. Sigona exemplifies the kind of teacher every student deserves,” Conway said.
