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.
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