Charles Orifici, instrumental music teacher at Clarksburg High School, is the MCPS finalist for The Washington Post Teacher of the Year. More on Charles Orifici below, per MCPS:
For 25 years, Charles Orifici has been teaching instrumental music, 24 of them in MCPS. Since opening Clarksburg High School in 2006, he built the instrumental music program into one of the hardest working and successful school marching bands, culminating in this past fall’s Maryland Marching Band Association competition, where the band went undefeated.
He built the Clarksburg program from the ground up, acquiring and retaining interest, resources and opportunities for students. He teaches band and orchestra classes, marching band, and indoor/outdoor competitive marching band. The school’s PTSA honored him with its Leader of the Pack award annually from 2009–2019. In 2011, he received The Washington Post’s Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award, as well as a Wolf Trap Grant for Performing Arts Teachers, honoring educators who bring new and exciting performing arts experiences to students.
Orifici has prepared students for performances in China, Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., New York City and in many Thanksgiving Day parades. He prioritizes building relationships and community in his classrooms, which results in student collaboration, mentorship and growth. Colleagues, parents and students call him an exceptional educator, calling his lessons thoughtful, engaging and fun.
The Washington Post announced the winners and finalists of the 2023 Teacher and Principal of the Year Awards on April 25. Each year, The Post presents these awards to encourage excellence in school leadership and contribute to the improvement of education in the Washington metropolitan area. The full list is available here.
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