AUGUSTA – Teachers of the Year for each of Maine’s counties were announced in a formal State House Hall of Flags ceremony today. From Kingfield to Princeton, from Limestone to South Berwick, from a field of 300 nominees, an outstanding Teacher of the Year has been announced for 15 of Maine’s counties.
Dr. William Beardsley, deputy commissioner of education led the ceremony saying, “Each of us remembers a teacher who changed our lives, a special teacher who instructed us in formal education, yet who also mentored us in becoming who we are. These County Teachers of the Year we honor today are individuals with exceptional yet different gifts. They personify the best in their profession. Their past and present students are a testament to their careers.”
The 2016 County Teachers of the Year are:
- Aroostook: Michael McCartney, Maine School of Science and Mathematics, Limestone
- Androscoggin: Michael Hayashida, Poland Regional High School
- Cumberland: Morgan Cuthbert, Harrison Middle School, Yarmouth
- Franklin: Selina Warren, Kingfield Elementary School
- Hancock: Rebecca Tapley, Brooklin Elementary School
- Kennebec: Andrew Forster, Messalonskee High School, Oakland
- Knox: Beth Heidemann, Cushing Community School
- Lincoln: Erica Atkinson, Dresden Elementary School
- Oxford: Joseph Cummings, Oxford Hills Middle School
- Penobscot: Cherrie MacInnes, Brewer Community School
- Sagadahoc: Lawrence Kovacs, Bath Middle School
- Somerset: Tamara Ranger, Skowhegan Area Middle School
- Waldo: Kristen Kelley, Islesboro Central School
- Washington: Jane Andrews, Princeton Elementary School
- York: Pamela Starkey, Marshwood Great Works School, So. Berwick
Joining the Deputy Commissioner in recognizing the 2016 County Teachers of the Year were 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year and Pond Cove Elementary School teacher Talya Edlund, Educate Maine Executive Director Ed Cervone and State Board of Education members Martha Harris and Peter Geiger.
Maine Teacher of the Year is a program of the Maine Department of Education, administered by Educate Maine, a business-led organization working to ensure Maine’s students and workers are the best educated and highly skilled in the world. Executive Director Ed Cervone remarked, “The 2016 County Teachers of the Year join a growing network of teacher leaders around the state who are working hard to elevate the teacher voice in support of students and the teaching profession. We are proud to partner with the Maine Department of Education and to have the opportunity to work with and learn from the exemplary professionals through the Teacher of the Year program. Over 300 teachers were nominated for this honor and we congratulate them all.”
Maine’s County Teachers of the Year serve as ambassadors for teachers, students and the efforts underway in Maine’s public schools to better prepare graduates for success in college, career and civic life. During their term, they are available to make presentations to local and regional audiences.
Those honored today will move forward in an intensive selection process that will include the creation of a video showcasing their classroom instructional practices, portfolio development and review, school visits, and an interview with a state review panel. At the end of this review, three state finalists will be chosen, and ultimately the 2017 Maine Teacher of the Year will be selected and named by Maine’s top education officials at a surprise all-school assembly this fall.
Ultimately, three state finalists and the 2017 Maine Teacher of the Year will be chosen and named by Maine’s top education officials at a surprise all-school assembly this fall.
Piscataquis County is not represented this year. State Teacher of the Year Coordinator, Dolly Sullivan said, “Of the four Piscataquis County teachers nominated, none chose to move forward in the process. It is our hope to have all counties represented next year.”
Funding for the program is generously provided by Hannaford, Geiger, Bangor Savings Bank and Dead River with support from the State Board of Education and the Maine State Teacher of the Year Association.
For more information, visit www.maine.gov/doe/toy/ or contact Educate Maine Program Director Dolly Sullivan at 631-3385 or dolly@educatemaine.org or Maine Department of Education Communications Director Anne Gabbianelli at 624-6747 or anne.gabbianelli@maine.gov.
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