Category: Awards and Honors

MEDIA RELEASE: Anita Bernhardt Named Maine Assistant Superintendent of the Year

Anita Bernhardt of the York School Department has been named Maine’s Assistant Superintendent of the Year for her work to improve academic performance, attendance, and graduation rates and her dedication to meet the needs of all students in the district.

“We are delighted to know that Anita is receiving this auspicious honor,” said Maine DOE Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta. “Her contributions to education within her district and throughout the State of Maine serve as testimony to her limitless commitment to excellence, equity, and student success.”

Nominated by her school board, Bernhardt is described as a data driven and collaborative leader who ensures her assessment teams are making fact-based, informed decisions on how best to design and employ innovative and creative learning solutions.

Having demonstrated outstanding expertise in designing and delivering professional development on timely topics with challenging content for all staff, she also has re-invigorated and expanded her district’s professional development opportunities to neighboring districts.

Her career in education started as a science educator. She served as a teaching fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education and worked as the Director of Standards and Instruction for Maine’s Department of Education. Prior to becoming Assistant Superintendent, she served as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for York School Department.

Bernhardt has long been recognized for her excellence in education. She received the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Science in 2003; was recognized for her leadership in the Maine Learning Results Review in 2006; received the Friend of Maine Technology Award in 2008; was honored as the Maine Audubon Educator of the Year in 2009; and, received the Philip Marcoux Award from the Maine Science Teachers Association in 2013.

Bernhardt was named Maine’s 2021 Assistant Superintendent of the Year by the Maine’s School Superintendents Association at its annual meeting, held virtually in late October.

Two Maine Educators Honored with 2020-2021 Financial Educator of the Year Award

The Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy has awarded two Maine educators for their outstanding work in financial education. The Maine Jump$tart Financial Educator of the Year Award, established in 2012, was created to recognize an individual who has distinguished themselves through their efforts to improve the financial capability of the students and families they serve. The Maine Jump$tart Coalition is pleased to honor Sheree Inman and Joe Schmidt as the 2020-2021 recipients of the Financial Educator of the Year Award for their leadership and accomplishments in personal finance education.

Sheree Inman is a teacher at South Portland High School, where she wears many hats as the Career Prep Teacher, School to Work Coordinator, and Career Fair Coordinator. Sheree is a leader in her school, and consistently pursues professional development opportunities in personal finance education.

Sheree has played an active role in trainings and events held by Maine Jump$tart, as well as participated in weekly conversations with other Maine personal finance teachers during the transition to distance learning this past spring.

Joe Schmidt is the Social Studies Specialist at the Maine Department of Education, where he provides technical support and professional development to Maine teachers. Joe also led the review of the social studies standards, which includes personal finance and economics, within the Maine Learning Results.

Prior to his role at the Maine DOE, Joe spent nine years as a high school social studies teacher in Wisconsin and three years as a teacher leader for social studies curriculum and instruction for the Madison, Wisconsin public school district. Joe currently serves on the national advisory boards for iCivics and Teaching Tolerance, chairs the National Council for the Social Studies Government and Public Relations committee, and has completed multiple fellowships and leadership opportunities.

Joe’s support, knowledge, and expertise has been an invaluable resource to Maine social studies teachers, particularly this past spring. Mary Dyer, president of the Maine Jump$tart Coalition, says, “Joe’s work in support of Maine educators, particularly during the transition to distance learning as a result of COVID-19, was simply extraordinary. Joe has served as an important voice for personal finance and economics educators in Maine and we are truly blessed to have him in our ranks.”

As recipients of the Financial Educator of the Year Award, Ms. Inman and Mr. Schmidt will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Jump$tart Educator Conference in 2021, where they will network with financial educators from across the country. Ms. Inman and Mr. Schmidt will also be formally honored at the 2021 Fostering Financial Education in Maine Schools Conference.

MEDIA RELEASE: Yarmouth Superintendent Named 2021 Superintendent of Year

The Maine School Superintendents Association (MSMA) has named Yarmouth School Department Superintendent Dr. Andrew Dolloff as the 2021 Maine School Superintendent of the Year.

“I have had the privilege of knowing and collaborating with Andrew Dolloff for many years, and am thrilled that he is being recognized by his peers for his leadership and dedication to Maine schools,” said Commissioner of Education Pender Makin. “He has been a trusted advocate, adviser and leader for many during his career, and he leads with professionalism and grace.”

Dolloff has served Maine’s public schools for more than 30 years. More recently by leading Yarmouth’s public schools since 2014, and prior to that he was Superintendent of Maine RSU 21 in Kennebunk.

His leadership at the State level as an advocate for public education, his willingness to support new administrators, and his collegiality are among the reason he was selected by MSMA for this tremendous honor.

As an active member of Cumberland County Superintendents Association, Dolloff worked with his colleagues not only in Cumberland County but also at the State level to help ensure sound decision-making around schools’ closing and reopening. He has a keen understanding of the complexity of a superintendent’s work, but leads with patience, humor and humility.

In a media release from Portland Public Schools earlier this week, Chris Howell, Superintendent of RSU 14 was quoted as saying, “During this unprecedented time, Andrew has served as a model for all of us in navigating the difficult decisions around learning during COVID-19 while keeping everyone safe, and demonstrating how to do that in a way that is mindful and respectful of all students, staff and families.  This recognition is highly deserved.”

Dolloff began his career as a chemistry teacher and basketball coach in central Maine before moving into school administration in Greater Portland in 1996. He has served as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, high school principal, high school assistant principal, and athletic administrator. Among his accomplishments was being named Maine’s Outstanding High School Principal in 2004. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine since 2009.

Dolloff completed his Ph.D. in Public Policy with a concentration in Educational Policy and Leadership at the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. He also holds a master’s degree in educational administration from USM and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Maine at Farmington. He’s a graduate of Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro.

MEDIA RELEASE: Bonny Eagle Middle School Nurse Named 2020/2021 School Nurse of the Year

The Maine Association of School Nurses (MASN) recently announced that Donna Jordan from Bonny Eagle Middle School is the 2020/2021 Maine School Nurse of the Year. This award acknowledges a member of the MASN who demonstrates excellence in school nursing practice, and leadership in the profession.

“Our School Nurses are true heroes, and work tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of everyone in their school community,” said Maine DOE Commissioner Pender Makin. ” Congratulations to Mrs. Jordan on this tremendous honor, in a time that is so very demanding of school nurses in particular.”

Mrs. Jordan started her school nursing career 15 years ago at Bonny Eagle Middle School and continues to work there today. She is a trusted medical figure within her middle school community – not just among students, but also among staff. She has been described by one colleague as the “staple health professional” in a building of over 800 students and 100 staff members. Her school principal describes her as “a true professional who brings all she is to her position.”

In her career at Bonny Eagle Middle School, Mrs. Jordan has worked tirelessly as a champion for multiple causes. Her influence at the school and within the district is seen through committee appointments at the local and state level, in her training and educational roles, and as the recipient of several funded grants. She maintains professional membership in both the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and the Maine Association of School Nurses (MASN) and has served on the board of MASN for the past five years as treasurer. As one supporter stated, “she is a natural born leader…perceptive, caring, extremely bright, and always willing to go the extra mile for her school children and for her peers.”

“I am so proud of the way school nurses have taken on the incredible challenges of the Coronavirus,” added Makin. “Their knowledge, experience, and grace has been vital to the emergency preparedness partnerships in Maine schools across the state.”

For more information about past School Nurses of the Year, or how to nominate someone in your school community, visit the MASN website.

 

Educators Honored at Unique Teacher of the Year Tailgate Gala

The Maine Teacher of the Year Program hosted a unique celebration this year to honor its 2020 Maine County Teachers of the Year and the 2021 Maine Teacher of the Year. With COVID-19 health protocols in mind, the innovative team of people behind Maine’s Teacher of the Year Program planned a safe, in-person tailgate event this year in place of the traditional indoor evening gala.

Hosted in Lewiston at an outdoor event at Geiger, a longtime supporter of the Maine Teacher of the Year Program, the celebration featured lunch provided by Lewiston Regional Technical Center’s Green Ladle Food Truck, a socially distanced awards ceremony, and remarks (both in-person and recorded) from partners, supporters, and 2020 Maine Teacher of the Year Heather Whitaker. Event attendees included the 2020 Maine County Teachers of the Year and Maine’s 2021 Teacher of the Year Cindy Soule, who were each accompanied by members of their family.

The event was made possible by the impeccable planning of Educate Maine and the program’s generous sponsors: Bangor Savings Bank, Dead River, Geiger, Hannaford, the Maine State Lottery, Unum and the Silvernail Family.

Staff from the Maine Department of Education, including Commissioner Pender Makin, were also present, along with Secretary of State Mathew Dunlap. Honoring an annual tradition, Secretary Dunlap graciously presented Maine’s signature license plate to the 2021 Teacher of the Year.

 

Representatives from the Maine Teacher of the Year Association, legacy County and Maine Teachers of the Year, and members of the Maine State Board were also there to celebrate and honor their fellow awardees.

Attendees adhered to state COVID-19 safety requirements by keeping socially distanced and wearing face coverings. Additional protocols were implemented to ensure a safe event for all. As was stated by several speakers at the event, in a year that has been very different in many ways, all were grateful for the opportunity to come together, in-person, to celebrate and honor Maine’s outstanding teachers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeTZckT_IjQ

U.S. DOE Seeks Maine Educators for National School Ambassador Fellowship

The U.S. Department of Education’s School Ambassador Fellowship application window for the 2021-2022 cohort is now open.

Applications are being accepted through Monday, January 11, 2021.

This opportunity is for school-based educators. The Fellowship is designed to improve educational outcomes for students by leveraging the expertise of school-based practitioners in the creation, dissemination, and evaluation of national education policy. Founded on the principles of partnership, collaboration and cooperation with school-based educators, the Fellowship seeks to:

  • Create a community of teachers, administrators, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other school staff members who share their expertise with one another and collaborate with Department of Education leaders on issues important to students and educators nationwide.
  • Involve practicing educators in developing policies that holistically affect learning environments.
  • Highlight practitioners’ voices and expand educators’ critical leadership at the local, state, and national levels.
  • The School Ambassador Fellowship offers two separate year-long tracks: full-time and part-time. The full-time appointment is based at the Department of Education Headquarters in Washington, DC; and the part-time fellowship enables educators to collaborate with the Department while maintaining their regular school responsibilities in their home communities.
    To be eligible for the School Ambassador Fellowship program, participants must:
  • Be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident.
  • Currently be a teacher, administrator, counselor, social worker, or other school staff member (and anticipate being employed in this role during the 2021 – 2022 school year).
  • Be employed by a traditional public, charter, private, virtual, military (DoDEA), or tribal (BIE) school that serves any grade, preschool through twelfth.
  • Have at least five years of experience in his/her role, up to and including the current school year.
  • Have daily interaction with students and/or educators in his/her school/district role.

Ideal candidates for this program are educators from public, charter, independent, magnet, parochial schools, etc. who have made significant contributions to student learning and culture, can effectively communicate to a variety of internal and external education stakeholders, and can promote excellence in education through their collaboration and leadership capabilities.

The deadline to apply for the 2021 – 2022 School Ambassador Fellowship is Monday, January 11, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Program and application submission information can be found at the School Ambassador Fellowship Website.

Have Questions About the School Ambassador Fellowship? Contact the School Ambassador Fellowship program office at SAF@ed.gov.

Gorham Middle School Music Educator a Semifinalists for GRAMMY Association’s Music Educator of the Year Award

Tracy Williamson, music educator at Gorham Middle School, has been selected as 1-of-25 semifinalists for the GRAMMY Association’s Music Educator of the Year. A total of 25 music teachers from 24 cities across 16 states, have been announced as semifinalists, selected from more than 1,989 initial nominations submitted from all 50 states

The Music Educator Award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. The recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2021.

The award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher — students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators.

Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students’ lives. They will receive a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school’s music program. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants. The remaining fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.

The matching grants provided to the schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Museum’s Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

The finalists will be announced in December, and nominations for the 2022 Music Educator Award are now open.   To nominate a music educator, or to find more information, please visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.

See a full list of educator selected nation-wide.

This story is part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success campaign. To submit a story or an idea email it to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

MEDIA RELEASE: ‘The Learning Space’ a Finalist for National Award; Virtual Announcement to Take Place Tomorrow! 

Maine’s very own educational success story, The Learning Space is one of 5 finalists for a national public media contest, “Local That Works.” Finalists will be celebrated and a winner will be chosen this Thursday, Oct. 22 at 2pm, during an hour long online festival that is open to the public! 

In the Spring of 2020 when COVID-19 spread across the country, forcing schools to provide education remotely, Maine Public, the Maine Department of Education, and Educate Maine joined forces to create original, educational programming for students in Grades 3 through 5. Dedicated teachers from across Maine developed original video lessons, pulling content from their own lesson plans and sources to provide exceptional learning opportunities for Maine students.  

The Learning Space project is now in competition with four other impressive examples of public service, including shops like KQED and Detroit Public TV, for a $20,000 prize. 

During the festival, attendees will be treated to a ten-minute highlight video of The Learning Space, as well as video stories from the other four finalists. This will be where Maine ‘makes the case’ for the Learning Space to a panel of voters! Tickets to attend this event virtually are free, but participants need to register here! Please join us in celebrating and supporting Maine’s outstanding education community!  

The Learning Space was broadcast on Maine Public from April through mid-June. For more information about the Learning Space including archived episodes, visit Maine Public’s website. 

 

 

Students, Parents, and Schools Celebrate School Bus Driver Appreciation Week Oct. 19-23

Nationally, while school buses are the gold standard of safety and considered the Titans of Transportation, school bus drivers are the heroes of safety that go above and beyond the call of duty as they deliver the most precious cargo – our students.

Locally, parents, students, teachers, and superintendents celebrate National School Bus Driver Appreciation Week by showing appreciation for school bus drivers that build local community, make special deliveries, arrive in early hours, help students in need, focus on safety, and more.  School staff and parents make special cards, deliver special snacks, talk with drivers about how much their commitment to student safety means to families, schools, and the community, and learn about a day in the life of a school bus driver. School district transportation directors celebrate National School Bus Driver Appreciation Week by providing driver safety training at the district. This is a time for celebrating school bus drivers.

Historically, Maine schools celebrate School Bus Driver Appreciation Week during National School Bus Safety Week which occurs annually during the third week in October. It is a time for Mainers to reflect upon the outstanding job performance of our school bus drivers who transport students to and from school and school related events throughout the year traveling over 30 million miles of urban and rural roads. In Maine about 80 percent of students ride the school bus which is much higher than the national average of 50 percent.

We welcome you to share stories about your Maine school bus driver heroes of safety on the Maine DOE social media on Facebook @MaineDepartmentofEducation1 and/or Twitter @mdoenews.  Here are some historic examples of Maine school bus driver heroes of safety:

School bus drivers receive extensive driver and safety training to provide the essential service of school transportation. They are responsible for conserving the comfort, safety, and welfare of students they transport. Should a critical incident occur that requires student relocation, school bus drivers will be called on to deliver students to a safe haven.

For information about school transportation policy contact Transportation and Facilities Administrator Pat Hinckley at pat.hinckley@maine.gov .

For information about how to become a school bus driver contact the Maine Association for Pupil Transportation (MAPT) http://www.maptme.org/

MEDIA RELEASE: UTC Business Leadership Instructor Named CTE Teacher of the Year

Amanda Peterson, the Business Leadership Instructor at United Technologies Center (UTC) in Bangor has been named the 2020 Maine Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year by the Maine Administrators of Career and Technical Education (MACTE). Mrs. P, as her students call her, was honored by Maine Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner Pender Makin and Maine Community College System President David Daigler at the annual MACTE conference which was held virtually on October 8th.

(Pictured: Amanda Peterson poses for photos with her family members after being honored.)

 

“This is a period in our history where educators of exceptional character are extra important,” said Commissioner Makin in her remarks honoring Peterson. “Students all crave stability and hope, a reason to believe in their own future. Having your teacher demonstrate clearly and consistently that they care and believe in you is priceless.”

Known for her ability to blend an extraordinary set of abilities in an effort to cater to each and every student, Mrs. P thoughtfully taps into each student’s uniqueness, talents, and dreams by celebrating and them and helping them to confidently grow into their best selves.  She transforms individuals often filled with self-doubt and uncertainty, to individuals who demonstrate self-confidence and direction.

During his remarks, MCCS President Daigler spoke about Mrs. P’s efforts to develop a robust CTE Business program for UTC that helps students earn college credit. “Currently Ms. Peterson offers 12 EMCC Business courses and additional courses from 2 other Maine higher education institutions, bringing her total course offerings to 14 college courses or 42 college credits.  Delivering a demanding college level curriculum to high school students is challenging.  Having over 90% complete with A’s and B’s based on locked 3rd party and college summative assessments is phenomenal. This level of learning, with students widely becoming able to reach and function in Bloom’s Quadrant D, occurs because of her dedication, belief system, and understanding of experiential education.”

Maine Administrators of Career and Technical Education (MACTE) administers the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year Award, which recognizes teachers who are providing outstanding career and technical education programs for youth and/or adults in their respective fields and communities.

Peterson has a Master’s of Science in Education and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business from Husson University and an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Thomas College. She has 25+ years working in a family small business, (farming, restaurants, general stores), in addition several years in industrial education experience, instructing, banking, IT support, finance, and small business ownership. Peterson is a certified Maine CTE instructor in Business Education, Information Technology and Cooperative Industrial Training.

 

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