EOB Teacher of the Year Rebecca Marra with her students (left to right) Draven Engler, Daniel Rodriguez, Charlotte Soucy, Argenis Garcia and Tyla Carey.
ANSONIA – Whether she’s helping students create blueprints or developing prototypes for model trains on a 3D printer, Rebecca Marra’s love for engineering and mechanical design shines through at her teaching job at Emmett O’Brien (EOB) Technical High School.
It’s why she has been named EOB’s teacher of the year.
“The list of my fellow colleagues who were also nominated for the honor are such a talented group. It was very humbling to hear I was selected,” Marra said.
Marra began her teaching career at EOB in 2001. She left for a few years to teach at Platt Tech in Milford, but returned to EOB in 2008.
Prior to public school teaching, Marra worked for software technology and design corporations, including Parametric Technologies Corporation and R&D Technologies. She also worked as a drafter and mechanical designer and owned a small business, RAM Services in Ansonia, where she assisted inventors in helping them get patents for their designs.
Marra ultimately decided to bring her love of engineering and design to the next generation.
She started out at EOB teaching ninth graders how to read blueprints. Now she’s the head of the school’s mechanical design and engineering technology department.
“These students are all neighborhood kids who come from 22 different towns, but yet all work together as if they all grew up together,” Marra said.
Marra and her husband, James, have two children. She’s from Wisconsin originally but now calls Seymour home.
She’s also been an adjunct professor at Gateway Community College in the engineering department since 2007.
Former student Chris Kulas, a 2022 EOB graduate, said Marra is a motivator who pushes people to achieve what they didn’t think was possible.
“Mrs. Marra can be described as an armadillo,” Kulas said in an email to the Valley Indy. “She is hard on the outside but soft on the inside. This is what makes her so great. The hard on the outside makes her push her students, co-workers, loved ones and even complete strangers to their limits.”
Emmett O’Brien Principal Laurie LeBouthillier said Marra is a great teacher.
“Her ability to inspire and engage students, foster a hands-on learning environment, and go above and beyond to ensure every student reaches their full potential truly sets her apart,” LeBouthillier said.
