Tara Cuffee, a music teacher at Cradock Elementary School, has been named the Portsmouth Public
Schools (PPS) Citywide 2022 Teacher of the Year. Cuffee’s honor was announced by PPS Superintendent
Dr. Elie Bracy, III at the division’s annual Teacher of the Year ceremony Wednesday, May 4.
“It is my belief that the teacher sets the bar for daily instruction,” Cuffee wrote in her Teacher of the
Year application. “High expectations yield high results. The higher your expectations for your students
shows that you care and believe that they are capable of obtaining and sustaining the expectations
required of them. High expectations are necessary in maximizing the positive benefits that come from
students' self-fulfillment...with dedication, perseverance and hard work, it is my philosophy that each
student can and will always rise to the occasion and succeed.”
Cuffee has been in her position for the past three years, and, in addition to her work in the classroom,
she also serves as the school’s Humanities Chair and volunteers for the Food Bank and Operation
Blessing.
Cuffee will represent the division as she goes on to compete for the Region II Teacher of the Year.