PORTLAND, Maine — The response to an expanded Maine Teacher of the Year (MTOY) program has been tremendous, with hundreds of Maine citizens nominating educators from every county in the state. A total of 483 total nominations — 376 of them unique — were received this year, compared to just 14 in 2013. Penobscot and Cumberland counties had the most teachers nominated, with 62 and 60, respectively. Aroostook County had 14 nominees.
From the pool of nominated teachers who choose to continue with the MTOY process, 16 2014 County Teachers of the Year will be selected and one individual from this list of honored educators will be selected as the 2015 Maine State Teacher of the Year. The Maine Teacher of the Year participates in the National Teacher of the Year program.
“Increased participation in this process is extremely positive and the effort by so many will lead to a better overall program. Educate Maine is very pleased with the level of response to the expanded Maine Teacher of the Year program and we thank the teachers, principals, students, parents and community members who took the time to submit 483 nominations,” said Dolly Sullivan, MTOY program coordinator. “Clearly, there are many exceptional educators in Maine and we look forward to working with them throughout the Teacher of the Year journey.”
Changes were made to the MTOY program this year to honor and recognize more of Maine’s classroom teachers, to increase community engagement and to expand the reach of the program to all areas of the state. In addition to selecting and honoring 16 County Teachers of the Year, the MTOY program changed the nomination process by creating a simpler online form that could be accessed by a larger audience.
The effort to expand the outreach and increase awareness of the program resulted in more community participation. This year, Educate Maine’s business partner — Bangor Savings Bank — supported the awareness efforts by reaching out to the public and customers through various outlets, including social media, and posting MTOY information and providing nomination forms in each of their 57 branches. The bank is also financially supporting the MTOY program.
Nominees who choose to participate in the MTOY program must submit supporting documents and essays to be considered as a County Teacher of the Year finalist.
The 2014 County Teachers of the Year will be announced the week of May 5.
