Archbishop Curley’s Natalie Hax named the archdiocese’s high school teacher of the year

As a teacher at Archbishop Curley High School for the last four years, Natalie Hax wants to make sure each student feels “valuable and supported.”

“The most important thing for me is making connections with students,” Hax said. “Teaching goes further than the content and curriculum.”

Building trust is key to making connections, Hax said. She does that by attending her students’ activities, including numerous sporting events, theater productions and concerts.

“We have expectations at Curley,” Hax said. “The challenge and motivation for me is to help them meet the goals we have for them.”

Hax was named the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s high school teacher of the year in April. A teacher in the archdiocese for 11 years, Hax previously taught at St. Ursula School in Parkville, an elementary school, where she is a parishioner. She was also a math resource teacher and worked with middle school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. She decided to “take a leap of faith” and teach high school by accepting a job at Curley.

“I was excited,” Hax said. “My dad went to Curley. My brother, my husband. I have a strong family connection there. It always felt like home to me.”

Hax, a Catholic HIgh graduate, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Towson University. 

As Curley’s Algebra 1 teacher, Hax teaches freshmen.

“I really do enjoy it,” Hax said. “There is an eagerness and motivation from them. It really is inspiring for me.”

She also is a teacher for the school’s St. Anthony program, a three-week summer program for students with different learning needs.

“I really get to know these kids,” Hax said. “I learn their strengths and weaknesses. I know their needs.”

Principal Jeremy Joseph noted that Hax was his first hire after he became Curley’s principal.

“She’s the real deal,” Joseph said. “I appreciate her approach to education. She is able to build relationships to motivate students and access where they are.”

Curley, Hax said, “is a great place to work.”

“Everybody there is on the same team,” Hax said. “We set our students up for success and to grow throughout their four years there.”

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