When Fredericksburg Middle School English teacher Katharine (Katie) Dietrich Simington sees her husband, David and son, James, playing video games, she listens in, especially to the language they use.

This is one of the many methods she uses to connect to students in her classroom.

“Katie makes connections, so they want to work hard for her,” said Valerie Bonn, a fellow English teacher. “She has a wall of fame in her room where (students) can show off their accomplishments. She makes every kid feel valued and loved.”

Which may be the reason Simington, a seventh-grade teacher, was named Teacher of the Year for the 2023-24 school year.

Dalen Kirchner, FMS principal, said Simington embodies the “We are one” FMS motto, “with sincere love and grace” for each student.

A former student, Danika Ochoa, was in the first class Simington taught in Fredericksburg and remembers Simington’s welcoming, energetic and positive demeanor.

“She lifts spirits up and believes in every kid. Her teaching has impacted a lot of kids, making them believe in themselves with their writing skills,” Ochoa said. “She loves every student like her own and will forever have an impact on my heart.”

Simington grew up in the New England area with parents who spoke both English and Ger-man.

When she and her family decided to move from Boston to Fredericksburg three years ago to be closer to friends and her husband’s family, her parents were happy there was a German connection.

Simington received her undergraduate degree in religious studies, and after graduating, she had what she thought were two options: go back to seminary to be ordained or do mission work translating the Bible.

“I always planned to be a professor of Ancient Near Eastern Literature,” Simington said. “Somehow, along the way, I realized that teaching middle school students had become my passion, and it still is today.”

She pursued a master’s degree in education at Boston College and has not looked back since.

She has been teaching for almost 15 years and believes it to be her true calling; her students and colleagues agree.

“Katie has been an enormous asset to the FMS English department. We are extremely lucky to have her,” said Bonn. “Her room is never empty. Every kid has the opportunity to be successful even if it takes up her mornings, lunches and afternoons. She won’t let any one of them stop until they are proud of the work they have done.”

Simington believes that “learning to write well is a way for students to change the world for the better. In my class, we journal every single day. Writing warms up their brains and challenges students to clear the distractions, expectations and challenges that are near crushing at their age.”