Melissa Porfirio, 38, of Springfield’s Crestwood neighborhood was named Virginia’s 2014 Region 4 Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Department of Education. The first- and second-grade teacher at Crestwood Elementary since 2005 will be honored on Friday, Oct. 11, at a banquet and awards program in Richmond.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said, calling the award both “surreal and humbling.” “What pleases me most is my former students coming back to visit me,” she said. “I’m still in touch with juniors in high school. For me that’s where I get my satisfaction—in knowing I’ve made a difference.”

“Her ability to build strong relationships with her students and her family outreach are true examples of what we try to be as educators.”

—Crestwood Elementary Principal Tim Kasik

A RUNNER in the Marine Corps marathon, this is actually her second career; her first was as a social worker in the District and Fayetteville, N.C. She gets involved in her students’ lives, taking the extra effort to get to know them as people. By building partnerships with parents, Porfirio helps diverse families to feel comfortable in her classroom on Hanover Avenue in Springfield.

“I knew right away there was something special about her when I first saw her teach,” said Crestwood Elementary Principal Tim Kasik. “Her ability to build strong relationships with her students and her family outreach are true examples of what we try to be as educators.”

Kasik praises Porfirio for the efficient way her classroom runs and for developing routines for students to transition from lesson to lesson with a minimum of down time.

“This is a high honor for all of us. It really is a testament of her ability to collaborate with her teammates and to be an important member of the community,” said the proud Kasik.

According to Kim Amenabar, formerly an advanced academics resource teacher at Crestwood, Porfirio is amazingly dedicated and respects every child—no matter what their abilities are. “She looks at every child individually as a person,” she said. “And becomes part of the child’s family, which is wonderful.” With her colleagues, “She is very respectful of colleagues’ differing viewpoints and encourages everyone to go beyond their best,” she adds.

Part of her strategy to build relationships includes involvement in activities outside the classroom. Porfirio assembled a team of parents and teachers to plan Crestwood’s first International Night, an evening that brings together the culturally diverse community for music, dance and food. She is a buddy runner in the school’s Girls on the Run program that helps instill confidence in girls. She also attends PTA fundraisers after hours, works on the Crestwood Partners in Print program, attends dance recitals and sports competitions where students are participants, and visits homes to build relationships with families.

PORFIRIO IS ONE of eight teachers — representing each of the eight regions in the state — named a regional teacher of the year. Region 4 represents Northern Virginia and includes the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Warren and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester.

In 2013, Porfirio was named Teacher of the Year for Fairfax County and shared the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award with 20 educators. She also won the Crestwood Elementary Human Relations Award in 2008, the JMU Teacher Promise Award and the UTEEM Program Award for 2005 at GMU.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the Catholic University of America and her master’s degree in education with a focus on curriculum and instruction from George Mason University.