Three Maine Educators Honored with Excellence in English Language Arts Awards

The Maine Council for English Language Arts (MCELA) has announced the recipients of its annual educator awards. Melissa Guerrette, a fifth-grade teacher at Oxford Elementary School, has been awarded the seventh annual Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award. Kim Barnes from Caribou Community School and Michele Aronson from Mt. Ararat Middle School have each been awarded the inaugural MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award.

The Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award honors outstanding English language arts and literacy educators who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, contributed to the profession, and shown a deep commitment to their students and community. Educators who are recognized embody the same dedication to student-centered learning and professional leadership as the award’s namesakes, Claudette and John Brassil, who collectively taught for more than 80 years in Maine public schools.

The MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award was established to recognize educators who go above and beyond in fostering a love of literacy, engaging students in meaningful learning, and advancing the profession through leadership and advocacy.

MCELA presented the Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award and the inaugural MCELA Teacher of Excellence Awards at the 2025 MCELA Conference on March 21 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, Maine.

As an award recipient, each awardee will receive complimentary conference registration, a one-year MCELA membership, and formal recognition during the event. They will also each present workshops at the 2025 MCELA conference to share an excellent teaching idea.

Additionally, MCELA will nominate Guerrette for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Teacher of Excellence Award.

For more information about MCELA and its award programs, please visit mainecela.org. Below, you can find more information about this year’s awardees.

Melissa Guerrette
Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award
Fifth-Grade Teacher, Oxford Elementary School

Melissa Guerrette is an exemplary educator known for her deep commitment to student engagement, literacy, and community connections. With more than two decades of experience in the classroom, she is a passionate advocate for fostering inquiry-based learning, empowering students to see themselves as readers, writers, and critical thinkers. Guerrette creates a dynamic and welcoming learning environment that nurtures curiosity and supports the unique needs of every student.

Guerrette is a National Board Certified Teacher with a Master of Science in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and French. Guerrette is also a 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year semifinalist, the 2021 Oxford County Teacher of the Year, and the 2025 recipient of the Karen MacDonald Service to Teaching Award. She is on the 2020 Fenway Bowl Honor Roll and was a 2018 Binnie Media Golden Apple Award winner.

“Melissa works tirelessly on her craft, is committed to growing personally and professionally, and lifts those around her to achieve their best. She is THAT teacher – the one who is remembered lovingly for generations and the one you hope any child in your family is lucky enough to call theirs,” Oxford Elementary School sixth-grade teacher Sara Lavertu wrote in her letter of recommendation for Guerrette to win this award.

Kim Barnes
MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award
Eighth-Grade English Language Arts Teacher, Caribou Community School

Kim Barnes is known for her ability to cultivate reading and writing engagement among her students. She is recognized for her thoughtful curriculum, which encourages critical thinking, creativity, and authentic learning experiences. Barnes has been recognized for her teaching excellence in the past: 1998 Distinguished Educator Award for Discipline, 2003 master’s degree in Educational Leadership, 2009 Plugged-In to Reading Teacher of the Month, 2017 Aroostook Right to Read Literacy Award Recipient, 2019 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year.

“Watching Kim in action, whether with students or colleagues, is inspiring to behold,” Heather Anderson, Barnes’ teaching colleague at Caribou Community School, wrote in her letter of recommendation for this award. “It often begins with a text to our eighth grade team of ‘I have an idea!’ These texts spark projects that transform our students and our school. Kim’s mind is like a fireball of innovation. She consistently sets goals and sees them through with her determination and focus.”

Barnes’ ideas spread beyond her classroom to the whole school and throughout the community and county. They often involve creating meaningful learning experiences for her students, which is key to the celebration of her as an MCELA Teacher of Excellence for 2025.

Michele Aronson
MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award
Seventh-Grade English Language Arts and Response to Intervention Literacy Teacher, Mt. Ararat Middle School

In addition to her role as a seventh-grade English Language Arts and Response to Intervention Literacy Teacher at Mt. Ararat Middle School, Michele Aronson is also a Critical Reading and Writing Instructor at Merrymeeting Adult Education. She is recognized for her commitment to fostering student voice, promoting inquiry-based learning, and mentoring fellow educators in best literacy practices.

“On a daily basis, Michele delights in the quirky mirth that only a group of adolescents can create,” Jonathan Beede, a social studies teacher at Mt. Ararat, described. “Whether Michele is leading an outdoor adventure to share her love of nature and physical activity; marshaling the sales team at our annual cookie bake-off; playing pied-piper through our community on walking-writing marathon field trips; rallying kids for fitness challenges during indoor motor breaks; inviting her grandson, Wyatt, to be a guest reader to her ELA classes; filling the hall with her cacophonous laugh; or anything else she can jump into to enliven her beloved Team Androscoggin—Ms. Aronson makes the experience of everyone lucky enough to be near her, bigger, brighter, and better.”

Aronson also fosters a love of learning in her students, which is key to the celebration of her as an MCELA Teacher of Excellence for 2025.

Maine DOE Update – March 21, 2025

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Reports Opening April 1: Enrollment and Quarter 3 Attendance, Truancy, Bullying, and Behavior

April 1 enrollment reporting will become available on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The due date for certifying this report will be Tuesday, April 15, 2025. A comparison of April enrollments to October enrollments is used for policy and decision-making. | More

News & Updates

Maine DOE Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Amendment to ESSA State Plan to Clarify Entrance and Exit Procedures for Multilingual Students

Public Comment Sought on Maine’s IDEA Part B Application

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking comments from the public on its annual application for federal funds under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers services to children aged 3-22 with disabilities. | More

Pine Tree Programming Empowers Maine Schools with Fun and Engaging Computer Science Education

Pine Tree Programming, a new initiative from the Maine Department of Education’s Office of Teaching and Learning, is expanding access to computer science education across the state. In just six weeks, this dynamic program has introduced more than 500 students—many from schools with limited or no prior computer science opportunities—to the world of coding. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

‘Learning from Maine’ Video Series Seeking Story Ideas from Maine Schools

The Maine Loves Public Schools campaign, a collaborative effort by the Maine Education Leaders Professional Learning Collaborative (MELPLC), has launched a new public education video storytelling series. Organizers are currently seeking story ideas from Maine schools. | More

Athens Community School Dives into Computer Science Through Hands-on Learning

Thanks to the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) “Teach with Tech” grant, junior high students at Athens Community School are diving into computer science with hands-on lessons that incorporate Sphero BOLT robots. | More

Submit good news to the Maine Department of Education here.

Professional Learning/Training Opportunities

Registration Open for McKinney-Vento Spring 2025 Regional Meetings

In April, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is hosting McKinney-Vento Spring 2025 Regional Meetings to provide updates on federal, state, and local policies and discuss resources available to students and families experiencing homelessness or housing instability.. | More

Webinar: Bringing Music into Your Classroom (No Musical Training Required!)

Are you looking to incorporate music into your teaching but don’t have a musical background? This engaging webinar is designed for educators of all subjects who want to harness the power of music to enhance student engagement, creativity, and learning. | More

REMINDER: Applications Open for Math4ME Project

Math4ME is a free, three-year, whole-school project, designed to support all educators (i.e., classroom teachers, special educators, ed techs, and interventionists) to strengthen math proficiency for all learners with a specific focus on increased math proficiency for students with math individualized education plan (IEP) goals. | More

View the Maine Department of Education’s Events Calendar here.

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities:

Find education-related jobs in Maine.

Maine DOE Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Amendment to ESSA State Plan to Clarify Entrance and Exit Procedures for Multilingual Students

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is requesting approval from the U.S. Department of Education to update its approved consolidated Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Maine is submitting an amendment to clarify and provide consistency regarding the entrance and exit procedures for multilingual (ML)/English language learner (ELL) students. (Please note that the Maine DOE utilizes the term “multilingual” learner whenever possible; however, federal language utilizes the term “English language” learner).

Public comment will be open beginning Monday, March 24, 2025 through Monday, April 7, 2025.

The clarifications within the amendment to entrance and exit procedures for ML students include:

If a primary/home language other than English is indicated on the Language Use Survey, the student will be administered an English language proficiency screener.
Maine will continue to use a composite score of 4.5 on the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment as the only mechanism through which a student may exit from MLL (ELL) status.
Maine’s policies and procedures to identify and exit MLs continue to be disseminated annually to school administrative units (SAUs); are posted to the Maine DOE webpage; and are provided in a Maine DOE policy through Administrative Letter #27: Legal Requirements to Provide English Language Acquisition Services to Students who are Multilingual Learners
Resources including Maine’s Identification and Placement Guidance are located on the WIDA state page and the Maine DOE’s ML Identification webpage. This document includes information pertaining to:
- Required screeners.
- Standardized entrance and exit procedures.
- Assessment administrator qualifications.
- Training requirements.

Comments regarding the proposed amendment, as well as additional questions, may be sent to Daniel Weeks, Maine DOE Title III Coordinator, at daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov. All comments must be received by 4 p.m. on Monday, April 7, 2025.

Public Comment Sought on Maine’s IDEA Part B Application

The application, which covers Maine fiscal year 2026 (starting July 1, 2025), is posted on the Maine DOE’s website. Pending the State’s receipt of the finalized federal award for the coming year, the Part B budget is estimated on the basis of Maine’s current award. The documents associated with the application will be posted from March 20, 2025, through May 16, 2025.

Written comments will be accepted from Monday, April 1, 2025, until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2025. Please send comments to Erin Frazier, Maine DOE Director of Special Services Birth to 22, at erin.frazier@maine.gov or 23 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.

Athens Community School Dives into Computer Science Through Hands-on Learning

Last year, Mrs. Luce, the Library/Media Specialist at Athens Community School, applied for this grant with a vision of sparking student interest in robotics and opening students’ eyes to the vast possibilities within the field of computer science. In the fall, the school received a set of 15 of these robots, which are now being used to launch exciting new computer science units for students in grades 5-8.

Athens eighth graders were the first to experience the magic of Sphero, starting with a fun and challenging activity: driving their robots through a maze using on-screen steering. From there, they advanced to the next level, learning to code their robots to navigate the maze independently. Students gained hands-on experience with block-based programming, mastering essential concepts such as parameters, conditionals, and loops. Through trial and error, as well as creative problem-solving and critical thinking, they wrote and tested their own code to overcome obstacles and guide their robots to success.

The excitement for robotics has proven to be contagious. As younger Athens students in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grade watched their older peers navigate these mazes, they couldn’t wait to get their own hands on the robots. This interactive nature of the robotics experience ignites curiosity and a passion for learning, leaving all students eager to try out programming for themselves. What has made this project at Athens Community School truly special is the collaborative learning environment it fosters. Students have had opportunities to share insights and learn from on another’s successes and failures, building community through teamwork.

Thanks to the comprehensive set of resources that Sphero provides—which includes a curriculum for multiple grade levels—Athens Community School is set to offer a rich, ongoing STEM education to students for years to come. Integrating robotics into the classroom not only helps students develop valuable coding skills; it also encourages them to think critically, collaborate with peers, and explore the limitless possibilities of the digital world.

This story was provided by Athens Community School. To submit good news to the Maine DOE, please fill out the Good News Submission form.

‘Learning from Maine’ Video Series Seeking Story Ideas from Maine Schools

The “Learning from Maine” video series will feature Maine classrooms, from Kittery to Madawaska, and from kindergarten to adult education, to capture the most inspiring stories of growth, resilience, and triumph. These uplifting features will be transformed into a series of short videos – with the goal of sharing the amazing happenings in public education, attracting more Mainers who are young and diverse to the teaching profession, and catalyzing school improvement.

Each 5- to 10-minute episode will be accompanied by social media posts that help to promote these stories. Episodes will also be emailed to thousands of Maine educators and administrators and broadcasted on Maine Public Television. Stories not chosen for the “Learning from Maine” video series may still be featured as part of the broader “Maine Loves Public Schools” campaign.

You may submit story ideas and find the criteria for story selection using this submission form.

To learn more about the Maine Loves Public Schools campaign, visit the website or reach out directly here.

Registration Open for McKinney-Vento Spring 2025 Regional Meetings

During these meetings, participants will learn about strategies for increasing local capacity to support McKinney-Vento-eligible students. Participants will have an opportunity to brainstorm solution-oriented approaches for affected youth in their schools and communities—and to network with colleagues from other schools and organizations.

The scheduled meetings are as follows:

Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties
Wings for Children and Families, 900 Hammond St. #915, Bangor
Thursday, April 3
8:05-10:30 a.m.
Washington and Hancock Counties
Maine DHHS Regional Office, 38 Prescott Dr., Machias
Thursday, April 3
1-3:30 p.m.
Aroostook County
Maine Department of Labor, 66 Spruce St., Presque Isle
Friday, April 4
9-11:30 a.m.
Mid-Coast, Kennebec, and Somerset Counties
Burton M. Cross Office Building Room 103 A and B, 111 Sewall St., Augusta
Tuesday, April 8
9-11:30 a.m.
Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties
Edward Little High School, 77 Harris Street, Auburn
Tuesday, April 15
9-11:30 a.m.
York and Cumberland Counties
People’s Choice Credit Union, 23 Industrial Park Rd., Saco
Tuesday, April 15
9:30 -noon

Registration for the McKinney-Vento Spring 2025 Regional Meetings is required. Participation is free. This event is appropriate for school staff or community-based organizations that support families and students experiencing housing instability. It is intended to be a space for connection and collaboration.

You may find out more and register here.

If you have questions, please contact Susan Lieberman, consulting McKinney-Vento Liaison Support Specialist, at susan.lieberman88@gmail.com or Signe Lynch, Maine DOE McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Specialist, at signe.lynch@maine.gov.

Download a flyer here (PDF).

Pine Tree Programming Empowers Maine Schools with Fun and Engaging Computer Science Education

Designed to make computer science fun, accessible, and engaging, Pine Tree Programming is proving that anyone can learn to code. In today’s digital world, computational thinking is more than just a technical skill; it’s a pathway to innovation, creativity, and future success. By introducing students and teachers to coding in an exciting and approachable way, this program is helping to close the digital divide and equip Maine’s youth with critical 21st-century skills.

So far, the response from the classroom has been overwhelmingly positive! Teachers are reporting a surge in student enthusiasm for technology and problem-solving, as students dive into coding, build projects, and explore the endless possibilities of computer science.

Building on this success, Pine Tree Programming is now looking ahead to expand its reach and bring even more Maine schools into the world of computer science.

Are you interested in to bringing Pine Tree Programming to your school? If so, please contact Allison Braley, Maine DOE Computer Science Specialist, at allison.braley@maine.gov for more information.

Webinar: Bringing Music into Your Classroom (No Musical Training Required!)

Join Maine Department of Education (DOE) Arts Integration Teacher Leader Fellow Joshua Chard, alongside distinguished music educators Zach Arenz (2025 New York State Teacher of the Year), Kaitlin Young (2018 Maine Teacher of the Year), and Louise Smith (2024 Mississippi Teacher of the Year), as they share practical, accessible strategies for integrating music into everyday instruction.

Panelists will explore simple ways to incorporate music into lessons, whether for transitions, student expression, or deeper content connections—and discuss the benefits of music for student wellbeing and classroom culture. The conversation will include real-world examples, interactive ideas, and solutions for overcoming common challenges that non-musicians may face.

Attendees will have the chance to ask questions, gain confidence, and walk away with actionable ideas to make music a meaningful part of their teaching practice.

This webinar is on Monday, March 24, 2025, from 5-5:45 p.m. via Zoom. Anyone interested in attending can join the webinar here. (No pre-registration is required.)

For further information and questions, please contact Maine DOE Arts Integration Teacher Leader Fellow Joshua Chard at joshua.chard@maine.gov.

Reports Opening April 1: Enrollment and Quarter 3 Attendance, Truancy, Bullying, and Behavior

April 1 enrollment reporting will become available on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The due date for certifying this report will be Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

A comparison of April enrollments to October enrollments is used for policy and decision-making. Therefore, it is important for school administrative units (SAUs) to complete this review and certification in the reported timeframe.

Please note that this report provides up-to-date address information for the SUN Bucks Summer EBT program. Students’ address information should be updated to reflect valid mailing addresses.

Collection of Title I allocation data for private schools with eligible students will be provided for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, based on the 2024-2025 April 1 enrollment collection. Private schools with Title I eligible students should enter enrollment data of eligible students into State Synergy.

Reporting Resources:

Quarter 3 Reporting will become available on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The due date for validating these reports will be Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

While collection of Attendance, Truancy, Behavior, and Bullying are ongoing reports for the school year, this validation provides an opportunity to update data to this point in the year. Updating data to this point will allow for more efficient certification at the end of the school year.

Reporting Resources: