MEDIA RELEASE: State Finalists Announced for 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year

Three Maine teachers have been announced as State finalists for the 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year program. The finalists were chosen from the 2021 Maine County Teachers of the Year honored earlier this year during a special virtual ceremony which was viewed over 2,000 times.

“All 16 County Teachers of the Year exemplify the amazing dedication and creative spirit of Maine’s educators,” said Pender Makin, Maine Commissioner of Education. “These finalists have been selected for their passion, vision, and advocacy for education and for Maine students, and each will be an outstanding ambassador on behalf of all educators in our state.”

The Maine Teacher of the Year program honors outstanding teachers who represent the thousands of excellent educators in Maine. Maine’s Teacher of the Year serves as an advocate for the teaching profession, education and students, and represents Maine in the National Teacher of the Year program.

Each educator was nominated by a member of their community for their exemplary service in education and dedication to their students. They were selected by a distinguished panel of teachers, principals, and business community members from a pool of hundreds of other nominated teachers in their communities.

The Maine Department of Education, Educate Maine, Maine State Board of Education and the Maine County and State Teacher of the Year Association are pleased to announce that Paige Fournier (Cumberland), Kelsey Stoyanova (Penobscot), and Hillary Hoyt (Waldo) are moving on as 2022 State Finalists.

Please join us in congratulating the 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year finalists.

Paige Fournier
Freeport Middle School, Freeport
2021 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year

“I am honored to represent RSU5 through the MTOY process. I look forward to amplifying the voices and experiences of all students- particularly those that struggle- in an effort to ensure all students thrive, grow, and feel empowered to make changes in their lives.”

Dr. Paige Fournier is a middle level special educator at Freeport Middle School in Maine. She began volunteering in a special education classroom as a high school student and discovered it was her life-long passion immediately. Dr. Fournier earned a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education/ Elementary Education at C.W. Post- Long Island University while playing Division II soccer and lacrosse, winning a National Championship in lacrosse. She frequently references her athletic experiences as part of her drive to empower and advocate for students.

Dr. Fournier holds a master’s degree in Special Education from New England College where she also most recently earned her Doctorate of Education in K-12 Leadership. In her studies she researched the impact of mindfulness on the general mental health and wellness of students at the middle level. Dr. Fournier is a Representative Assembly Board Member of the Maine Council for Exceptional Children, Co-Chair of the RSU 5 Wellness Committee, a member of the leadership team, a 2012 Maine Teacher of the Year semifinalist, a local and global teacher mentor, and a Board Member of the Freeport United Soccer Club. She has presented at conferences across New England, has been published in the New England College Journal of Applied Educational Research, and has successfully co-written grants to support technology, school gardens and a school-based greenhouse, and social emotional programs. She is passionate about inclusive practices and advocating for the success of all students, particularly those students that face adversity.

Kelsey Stoyanova
Reeds Brook Middle School, Hampden
2021 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year

“In the midst of a pandemic where uncertainties have been abundant, my journey with Maine Teacher of the Year has made it certainly clear — Maine educators know that what is best for students is to listen to them, know them as humans first and value their ideas, and then learn alongside them,” said Stoyanova. “I’m proud to represent my students and colleagues in RSU 22, Penobscot County, and our state to continue to advocate that we prioritize representation, choice, and voice of ALL students in our schools, in our curriculum, and in education policy.”

Kelsey Stoyanova is an 8th grade language arts teacher at Reeds Brook Middle School, part of Regional School Unit 22 in Hampden, Maine. Stoyanova has a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with an English concentration, a master’s degree in Education with a literacy focus, and is working toward her Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership — all as a University of Maine Black Bear. Stoyanova is passionate about reading and helping students find an authentic love of reading through integrating a strong foundation of independent reading in her classroom. That passion really shined when she was selected as a grant recipient by the Book Love Foundation in 2020. As an advocate for student involvement in curriculum creation, Stoyanova became the RSU22 Middle Level Language Arts Curriculum Leader — working to audit, align, and enhance the curriculum. She serves on the Equity in Education Committee where she designed and implemented the RSU22 Reads Three Reading Challenge for students and community members to participate in thus far highlighting BIPOC authors and characters, women in literature, AAPI voices, and LGBTQIA+ authors and characters. In addition to these roles, Stoyanova is sought out as a technology enthusiast, mentor, and loves to share and design creative projects and assessments with her colleagues in all content areas. After school, you can find her going on outdoor Maine adventures with her family, or with her nose in a book which she will undoubtedly talk about in class tomorrow.

Hillary Hoyt
Leroy H Smith School, Winterport
2021 Waldo County Teacher of the Year

“I am honored to be a finalist and be able to share my belief in the importance of engaging our students with their learning, each other, and the community,” said Hoyt. “Through this, we can show them that their dreams can come true!”

Hillary Hoyt teaches third grade at Leroy H Smith School in Winterport, Maine. She teaches math, reading, writing, social studies, and her favorite subject, science. It is no surprise that she is also the elementary science leader. Hoyt received her Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in Liberal Arts and minors in dance and English from the University of Maine in Orono.

Hoyt is a nationally board-certified teacher whose goal is to excite learners and show them how learning and reflecting can open new horizons. From classroom transformations such as Underwater Day to creating a rehabilitation center for animals through project-based learning using math and research skills, her goal is for students to be engaged in every lesson. On any given day, you may see her students being secret agents of the Fairytale Bureau of Investigation or engineers collaboratively building a dam while learning about natural disasters. Hoyt aims to create problem solvers, reflective thinkers, and creative designers in her classroom and beyond.

Through her experience as a classroom teacher, dance teacher, and coach at Husson University, she sees the importance of conversation, community, and connection. In all her positions, she works to have students understand how to share and listen to each other. She hopes to have students learn how they are part of the community and the importance of their role. As for the connection, her goal is for her students to see their relationship to each other, their community, and most importantly, the world.

One of these three teachers will be named the 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year, an honor awarded each year to one teacher in Maine. The announcement will be in October after the final stages of the selection process are complete.

The Maine Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year program is administered through a unique partnership with Educate Maine, the Maine County and State Teacher of the Year Association (MCSTOYA) and the Maine State Board of Education. Funding for the program is generously provided by Bangor Savings Bank, Dead River, Geiger, Hannaford, Maine Lottery, the Silvernail Family, and Unum.

For more information about the Maine County Teacher of the Year Program and to see a list of County Teachers of the Year, and Maine Teachers of the Year, visit http://www.mainetoy.org.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Erin Reinhard

Maine DOE team member Erin Reinhard is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team.

What are your roles with DOE?

Certification Specialist, I evaluate applications for certification and support educators in the field.

What do you like best about your job?

I love e-mailing with educators. It is extremely gratifying to assist educators in finding the answer they are looking for, helping them complete a requirement, and most importantly letting them know they are certified. I send around 500 e-mails a week and I enjoyed every single one of them (I am not joking)!

How or why did you decide on this career?

I did not intend on this career pathway, but my favorite jobs were ones where you get to assist someone to completing a goal. Every day I get to help someone complete something they have been striving to attain, whether for a few months or for years. When they cross the finish line I am as happy for them as they are exciting to be done.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

I hate to say it, but my favorite thing to do is spoil my tiny white dog! He might argue that it is torture, please see picture for example.

Aroostook County Students Featured in Local Vaccination Campaign

In collaboration with community agencies, Aroostook County Action Committee (ACAP), through the Aroostook Public Health District Vaccine Awareness Subcommittee and WAGM-TV, continues to roll out a marketing campaign featuring local “celebrities” sharing their stories about why they chose to receive their COVID-19 vaccination, and why they are encouraging others to do the same.

The latest in the series of public service announcements features County youth explaining to their peers and the community why they got vaccinated. The spot was released just as many County schools prepare to go back into session for the new school year. Like the previously released spots featuring adults, youth featured in the video clips come from across the geographic and demographic landscape of Aroostook County.

Check out the video below:

Prepare for Fall 2021 Lead Testing in Schools

The Maine Legislature passed a law requiring all school drinking and cooking water fixtures be tested for lead. All schools will either need to work with their local water professional or use the provided training materials to identify water sampling locations, collect water samples, coordinate with the designated laboratory, report results, and follow up with plans/procedures/actions based on the sampling results. Schools should designate someone for this responsibility.

Samples can be ordered on October 1st, 2021. To begin preparing for your sampling, visit our website at www.medwp.com/schools.html to download instructions.

Communication is Key

Before you begin sampling for lead in your school’s drinking water, it’s recommended that you communicate your efforts to parents and guardians. Make it known that by collecting lead water samples, your school is working toward creating a healthier and safer learning environment for students.

Staying ahead with your messaging is proactive and builds trust. Attached is a template your school can use to develop your messaging:

Sample Lead Testing Letter to Families

If you have specific questions about the program you can contact the Drinking Water Program at 207-287-2070. You can also visit Maine’s Childhood Lead Poisoning website, or by calling 866-292-3474.

DOE Data Training 8/24: Submitting Homeless Student Data

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team will be holding a training session on August 24th at 10am to discuss how School Administrative Units (SAUs) and private schools should be submitting Homeless Student data to the state.

The target audience for this training includes both data coordinators and McKinney-Vento Liaisons.

We will have Maine DOE Migrant Education Specialist Amelia Lyons on hand to answer any specific Homeless Student data questions.

Please follow the “Join Live” link below at the time of the training to join us.

Join the 8/24/21 Training Live here

For questions, please contact Maine DOE Helpdesk at medms.helpdesk@maine.gov

Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Virtual Meeting: Return to School – Addressing Privacy and Security Challenges in K-12 Education in the Wake of COVID-19

August 26, 1-5pm EDT

This fall, all schools and school administrative units (SAUs) are resuming full-time, in-person instruction. How can we use the lessons learned during the once-in-a-century pandemic to improve student privacy? This webinar brings together representatives from across the country to discuss the “must-dos” that come with federal student privacy laws, as well as the “should-dos,” challenges, and lessons learned from the recent rapid shift to remote learning.

This meeting is free and open to the public. Go to Meeting Registration | Return to School Virtual Meeting to register by August 24.

If you have questions you would like to see addressed, please contact PTAC at privacyTA@ed.gov.

Maine 2020 and 2021 Teachers of the Year Attend NASA Space Camp Experience

Gorham Middle School Alternative Education Teacher and 2020 Teacher of the Year Heather Whitaker and Gerald E. Talbot Community School 4th Grade Teacher and 2021 Teacher of the Year Cindy Soule, recently attended the NASA Space Academy as part of their recognition as a Maine Teacher of the Year.

Held at NASA’s Space Camp Headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama, the program includes authentic astronaut training simulators and activities developed to promote learning in a classroom setting. Curriculum includes NASA-inspired lesson plans and is correlated to the National Science Education Standards.

The 5-day professional learning opportunity is part of the National Teacher of the Year program, which is offered to State Teachers of the Year from across the country. Whitaker and Soule embarked on the opportunity separately last month with their Teacher of the Year colleagues from around the country from their respective years of recognition.

The individual experiences of both left them with many skills they will be bringing into their classrooms this fall.

For Soule, the program made her reflect on the power of building a community. One activity that stuck with her involved building a protective heat shield for an egg and keeping it from getting charred from fire. While there were others in her group who had more of an engineering background, she felt her voice, and everyone’s, was heard and valued equally, which allowed them to come together as a community in order to succeed.

The Academy provided a variety of experiences to the educators including a space flight simulation to Mars as well as a return flight from the Moon back to Earth and experience in a multi-axis trainer which simulates being in a rocket.

While the Space Academy certainly provided the educators with some practical skills for the classroom, the enrichment provided seeped into personal reflection as well. Whitaker says she was “naïve” before attending the Space Academy on the importance of space travel. During her time at camp, she found herself noticing all the various innovations to life on Earth that have come from space, making her that much more acutely aware of how small human beings are in comparison to the entirety of space. She came to this realization during a planetarium exhibition where she began to reflect on the day to day things that stress her out and made her consider how finite life on earth is- leaving her with one thought- “Why can’t we all get along?”

The experience certainly left each educator with some invaluable lessons but they also managed to have a lot of fun throughout. The first night of the Academy was the “Parade of States”- all of the Teachers of the Year from each state were asked to dress up in a costume that represented their state.

Heather dressed as a Maine Blueberry and Cindy dressed as an amalgamation of important parts of Maine including, a lobsterman, a blueberry shirt (gifted to her by Liberty Maine Graphics), and a Maine state flag hat.

Living in the Alabama dorms allowed for the participants to have plenty of time to socialize and network. Both stated they have made friends and colleagues for life.

Attending the Space Academy would not be possible if not for the support of Educate Maine, the Maine Department Of Education, and the generous donations from program sponsors. Both are extremely grateful for the opportunity and are so thankful for the lifelong lessons they will hold from the experience.

Website of LGBTQ+ and Gender Expansive Resources now Available to Schools

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has launched a new section of its website devoted to improving school climate and support of LGBTQ+ students in Maine.

“Every student in Maine has an irrefutable right to feel safe, recognized and valued in their school,” said Commissioner of Education Pender Makin (she/her/hers). “The Maine Department of Education is deeply committed to providing schools and educators the resources they need to ensure that theirs is a safe and welcoming climate, and to validating the voices and experiences of our LGBTQ+ students and school community members.”

The coordination of the website and its resources is the result of a year-long effort and partnership between Maine DOE, OUT Maine, and GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders) to provide meaningful resources and information to schools to give them the tools to support not only their LGBTQ+ students but their families and school staff as well. The resources are part of an initiative across the Maine DOE to provide resources and supports to ensure schools are safe and equitable for all students.

Our Stance: The Maine Department of Education supports all LGBTQ+ identifying, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender queer and questioning students, families, and school staff.

“We are thrilled with and grateful for DOE’s strong statement of support for LGBTQ+ youth in Maine schools,” said Jeanne Dooley, Executive Director of OUT Maine. “The thoughtful collection of resources and specific guidance for school districts will be extremely helpful to schools that have been seeking DOE leadership on laws and best practices.”

The website includes data about Maine’s LGBTQ+ youth, the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS) data, and other vital tools for Maine schools to ensure equity for LGBTQ+ identifying students. There are also additional resources specifically for students and parents.

The website of resources can be accessed here: LGBTQ+ and Gender Expansive Resources. Additional resources for supporting schools in reducing in-school violence and building positive school culture are:

SEL4ME: a free to use, comprehensive, CASEL aligned and trauma informed, PreK-12th grade Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, and;
Maine School Safety Center (MSSC): contacts and resources to help develop a safe school infrastructure delivering high quality, up-to-date best practices, procedures, training, technical assistance, and support to Maine Schools.

DOE Webinar on Submitting English Learner Data

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team will be holding a training session on September 9^th at 10am to discuss how SAUs and private schools should be submitting English Learner data to the State. The target audience for this training includes both data coordinators and ESOL educators.

We will have April Perkins, Maine DOE’s World Languages & ESOL/Bilingual Programs Specialist on hand to answer any specific EL student questions. Please follow the “Join Live” link at the time of the training to join us.

Join Live

If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding this webinar please contact the MEDMS Helpdesk at MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov or (207) 624-6896.

Graduation Reporting Webinar

The Maine Department of Education Data Team is holding a Graduation Reporting webinar Tuesday August 24^th at 1pm. We will be discussing the graduation certification report and related procedures for validating and clearing up any issues on the report. This certification is due by August 30^th, so attendance is strongly encouraged for those charged with validating this report. Please follow the “Join Live” link at the time of the training to join us. Thank you.

Join Live

If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding this webinar please contact the MEDMS Helpdesk at MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov or (207) 624-6896.