2013 Teacher of the Year semi-finalists announced

2013 Teacher of the Year semi-finalists announced
Editor: David Mills


AUGUSTA, ME - Five teachers have been named semi-finalists in the 2013 Maine Teacher of the Year selection process. A distinguished panel of teachers, principals and business community members made the selections last week.

They are among eight teachers who were nominated in February and honored in a State House ceremony last week that was attended by Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen, First Lady Ann LePage, State Board of Education Chairman Jim Banks, Sen. Brian Langley, and program sponsors.

The semi-finalists are:

• Katherine Bousquet, Central School, South Berwick
• Richard Lent, Leavitt Area High School, Turner
• Elizabeth Marass, Sanford High School
• Shannon Shanning, Whittier Middle School, Poland
• Beth Switzer, Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York

They will undergo an intensive selection process — which includes a school visit, a professional portfolio review, and an oral presentation — before the pool is narrowed to three finalists. Those finalists will then sit for an interview before the 2013 Maine Teacher of the Year is selected. The review panels consist of past Teachers of the Year, principals, Maine Department of Education staff, and members of professional education organizations and the business community. The 2013 Maine Teacher of the Year will be announced at a surprise all-school assembly in September.

The 2013 Maine Teacher of the Year will be the 48th educator to receive the honor. Alana Margeson, a 10th-grade English teacher at Caribou High School, is the 2012 Maine Teacher of the Year. She is available to speak to schools, community groups and others. More information about Margeson and her primary topics of discussion can be found on the Maine Teacher of the Year website.

In addition to the five semi-finalists, the other nominees included: Matthew Amoroso, Thornton Academy, Saco; Tracy Scully, Acton Elementary School; and Beth Skotarczak, Oxford-Cumberland Canal School, Westbrook.

Hannaford Supermarkets generously underwrites the cost of the Maine Teacher of the Year program. Bangor Savings Bank will reimburse the winner’s school district for the cost of substitutes while the Teacher of the Year is out of the classroom on official duties. The program is managed by the Maine Department of Education, with special thanks to the Maine State Board of Education and the Maine State Teacher of the Year Association for their support and advice.

• Downloadable headshots can be found online at the Teacher of the Year website
• More information and photos of the semi-finalists
• Matthew Stone | Content Manager | 207-624-6783 | matthew.stone@maine.gov
• Jennifer Pooler | Teacher of the Year Coordinator | 207-624-6638 |Jennifer.Pooler@Maine.gov