Newton teacher of face shield fame wins Governor’s Educator of the Year Award
Newton. Thirty-year teacher James Hofmann and 50-person team designed and produced a 3D-printable, face shield prototype at the outset of the Covid pandemic, when there was a tremendous shortage.
Newton /
| 02 Feb 2021 | 04:36
James Hofmann (Photo provided)
It’s an educational hat trick for James Hofmann.
A Sussex County Community College (SCCC) trustee and a longtime teacher in the Newton school system, Hofmann was recognized as the Governor’s Educator of the Year for the third time in his 30-year career.
Hofmann has taught at Newton High School for the past three years. He was notified of his award just before Christmas.
A STEM teacher and coach of the high school’s first Varsity Robotics Team, Hofmann was cited for his numerous contributions to the students and culture of the Newton district, and his commitment to the community in general.
Hofmann has been a trustee at the college for about four years. He taught at Alsteade Middle School in Newton for 27 years before moving to the high school.
“It’s very confirming, very nice to be recognized,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback about the award from a lot of people.”
Jon Connelly, president of SCCC, call it “a well-deserved award for James. He’s a wonderful educator, and he was a great addition to the trustee board right from the start. His background and perspective have been instrumental in helping the trustees attain many of their goals.”
Hofmann gained statewide attention last year when he, along with about 50 students, teachers and other “business networking partners,” designed and produced a prototype reusable mask when there was a tremendous shortage at the outset of the Covid pandemic in March. Using 3D printers, the team designed and produced a 9x9-inch clear plastic face shield with head straps. That led to the ultimate production of around 5,000 distributed to local hospitals, first responders, and long-term care facilities.
“We had a lot of people involved, a group effort,” said Hofmann, who received expanded media attention for the face mask project and an invitation to be a guest speaker at an upcoming New Jersey Manufacturers Extention Program round table event.
Hofmann cited two individuals in particular in the community who were key players in the effort: Mark Maruska of Gravity Design and Alex Cable of Thorlabs.
“I contacted them, and they didn’t hesitate,” he said.
Hofmann didn’t hesitate either. He saw that there was a need and he figured out what had to be done to help out. That is the essence of an Educator of the Year.