By Glenn Rolfe

FRANKFORD — Upon arrival at Howard T. Ennis School each morning, Deborah Treherne remembers this slogan: Every day is a new day.

“And that’s how we should treat our students,” she said. “Everybody gets a clean slate. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. We’re not supposed to take it personal. Our job is to keep you in a positive environment, pushing our students to do their best.”

On Thursday, much to her surprise, Ms. Treherne, who works with kids with disabilities and special needs, was named the Indian River School District’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. She was selected by a committee from a pool of 15 candidates, one from each of the district’s schools.

“It is such an honor I wasn’t expecting,” she said. “I go in, and I do my job. I give 100% every day. Like I said, ‘Every day is a new day.’ I don’t let the job pull on me or cause me to feel like I don’t want to come to work. Everybody in our building, everybody in our district — we do what we can do for the betterment of our students.”

Ennis principal Melissa Kansak said Ms. Treherne “breathes a lot of light and life” into the building and among staff.

“What she does day in and day out with the kids is unbelievable,” Ms. Kansak said. “You walk into her classroom, and you would not realize that our kids have disabilities. Every student is an able person, and they are treated that way, and she expects nothing less. She pushes them to achieve their goals, and she gets the job done every single day with a smile on her face. You feel it as soon as you walk in.”

Ms. Treherne has been a teacher at the school since 2021, providing emotional, social and academic support for students at the high school level. Previously, she spent seven-and-a-half years as a special education teacher at Millsboro Middle School.

She came to the Indian River district in 2002 and spent many years as a paraprofessional at the Richard Allen School and at Howard T. Ennis.

At Ennis, Ms. Treherne is a member of the School Leadership Team, the leader of the Prom Committee and a mentor for new teachers. She also collaborates with businesses and community stakeholders to help students become employable after graduation.

“As an educator for 20 years, Ms. Treherne has spent her career working with students who have been identified to need special-educator services,” Ms. Kansak said. “Her passion and dedication to the success of students with special disabilities is evident in every learning opportunity.”

At Thursday’s ceremony, superintendent Dr. Jay Owens focused on the experience spectrum of the 15 Teacher of the Year candidates.

“In the room tonight, we have teachers who are still early in their career, with just four years of experience. And we have veteran teachers that are being recognized tonight, one of which has 26 years of service,” he said. “And I really want to highlight this because this is an amazing statistic: Thirteen of the 15 Teachers of the Year that are being recognized here tonight have all their teaching experience right here in the Indian River School District.”

The outgoing Teacher of the Year Kasey Revel, an agriscience educator at Sussex Central High School, also addressed the audience at the Seed & Sapling venue.

“Teaching is one of the hardest but most rewarding jobs that you all (will) ever do. In order to be the best teachers, we have to take care of ourselves. So, take your time to get to know your students. Take your time to eat during your lunch break. And, most importantly, take time to spend time with your family and friends,” she said.

“As I pass the torch to our 2025 Teacher of the Year, I want everyone to remember that everyone’s goal for our community is to do what is best for our students.”

Ms. Treherne resides in Georgetown. She and her husband will celebrate 37 years of marriage in July, and they have two children and three grandchildren.

Then, in October, Ms. Treherne will represent Indian River at the State Teacher of the Year event.

“It is my plan to represent the district with integrity and excellence, as it already (has). I won’t disappoint,” she said, adding that her focus is teacher retention.

“If I had a push, it would be for teacher retention and making sure that teachers stay in their position and not get frustrated and not give up so soon because they feel like they are not supported, or they don’t have the material. But stay in the profession,” Ms. Treherne said.

“Teachers need to take care of themselves. We take care of so many people. It can be taxing at times, but we love our job.”