Photo: Jennifer Mackenzie, who worked in biotech before becoming a first-grade teacher at Winn Brook, was recognized for obtaining her professional teaching status

Just a few years ago, Jennifer McKenzie worked as a critical quality control specialist for a local biotech firm, part of a powerhouse industry which is on the cutting edge of science discovery.

Today, McKenzie has traded in her lab coat for a first grade classroom at Winn Brook Elementary where the height of scientific inquiry is watching a seed grow into a leafy plant.

While some may find exchanging the world of high-end pharmaceuticals for teaching six-year-olds the mysteries of the comma or adding three sets of numbers a surprising one. But McKenzie would not have any other way.

“I took this journey to do something that I knew I would love every day,” she said.

And on Tuesday, after spending three years teaching kindergarten, second grade and finally first grade for the past two years, McKenzie and 13 fellow educators and administrators were recognized by the Belmont School Committee on earning Professional Teacher Status in the district.

Under state law, Professional Status signifies that a school employee has served a certain probationary period, successfully, meeting the four Professional Practice Standards of the Massachusetts Educator Evaluation System, and has obtained some job security with substantive and procedural protections against dismissal and suspension.

The district’s Director of Human Capital Michael McAllister told those attending that earning Professional Status is no small accomplishment as it requires not only teaching their students successfully but also that they “meet the expectations of the Belmont community and the leadership of public the school.”

“These educators here tonight … fill out different roles. They are classroom teachers, they’re nurses, they’re specialists. They work in a lot of different places, in classrooms and offices in multiple schools. But whatever role they play, they all contribute to the larger mission of the Belmont public schools, which is educating children and preparing them for their future.”

It’s an achievement that is extra special for McKenzie.

“It means a lot to me as I’m a career changer. I worked in biotech and my background is microbiology,” said McKenzie. “It’s taken me a while to get here.”

The group honored Tuesday were put on the spot on their first day as they were hired in the fall of 2020, “when COVID pandemic was literally all any of us can think of.,” said McAllister.

“Starting my career during that time put me on the same level playing field as my coworkers. We were all kind of starting in a time that was new and different,” said McKenzie.

“Teaching is no small feat. You have classes full of students, with varying needs and learning profiles, and need to make sure they leave your classroom ready for the next phase of learning,” said Belmont Superintendent Jill Geiser.

“This requires skills around lesson design, engaging students in learning, communicating with families, collaborating with colleagues, and other facets that go into the daily work of teaching. These teachers have shown themselves to live up to that task with the clear focus on students, and for that I thank you,” said Geiser.

As the teachers received a small token of their accomplishment, McAllister noted the first name on the list was especially important to him as Timothy Berens, a special education teacher at Belmont High, was among the students he taught in his first year of teaching, “which wasn’t that long ago!”

The teachers and administrative staff earning professional status Tuesday are:

Timothy Berens	High School	Special Education
Elizabeth Brueckner	Wellington	Special Education
Mary Carbeck	Winn Brook	Nurse
Kenneth Gable	Chenery	Music
Alyssa Hubbert	Wellington	1st grade
Kathryn Hutchinson	Chenery	Science, 6th grade
Siobhan McKenna	Chenery	English, 7th grade
Jennifer McKenzie	Winn Brook	1st grade
Kevin Pillone	Chenery	Science, 6th grade
Arielle Rosasco	Chenery	Math, 7th grade
Donna Stanton	High School/Chenery	ELS teacher
Jason Tavares	Butler	1st grade
Jimaira Vazaquez	High School	Social Studies
Joseph Wright	Chenery	Music