PCHS’ Hennessey is the 2018 Piscataquis County Teacher of the Year
AUGUSTA — Teachers from each of Maine’s 16 counties were recently honored at an annual event in the Hall of Flags announcing the 2018 Maine County Teachers of the Year. The group is the county finalists for Maine Teacher of the Year, an honor awarded each year to one educator in Maine.
The Piscataquis County Teacher of the Year is Joseph Hennessey of Piscataquis Community High School, who teaches English at the school in the Guilford.
Also recognized was former SeDoMoCha Elementary School art teacher Anthony Lufkin, who taught for four years at the school in Dover-Foxcroft a decade ago, as Lufkin earned Knox County honors. He now teaches at Friendship Village School, Prescott Memorial School and Union Elementary
The educators were each 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 other 2018 County Teachers of the Year are Androscoggin: Katie Toothaker, Minot Consolidated School; Aroostook: William “Bill” Guerrette, Presque Isle Middle School; Cumberland: Connie Russell, Mabel I. Wilson School; Franklin: Jessica Ellingwood, Spruce Mountain High School; Hancock: Jennifer Farnham, Hancock Grammar School; Kennebec: Katy Jones, Winslow Junior High School; Lincoln: Daniel Hupp, Great Salt Bay Community School; Oxford: Jessica McGreevy, Oxford Hills Middle School; Penobscot: Shana Goodall, Orono High School; Sagadahoc: Christine Del Rossi, Mt. Ararat High School; Somerset: Patti Champagne, Bloomfield Elementary; Waldo: David Coffey, Belfast Area High School and Troy Howard Middle School; Washington: Kailee Colbeth, Washington Academy; and York: Kristin Klin, Bonny Eagle Middle School.
As ambassadors for teachers, students, and quality education in Maine, these teachers will continue to participate in the intensive State Teacher of the Year selection process, including the submission of a video showcasing their classroom instructional practices.
The field will be narrowed to eight semi-finalists who will begin working on their professional portfolio, a component of the National Teacher of the Year process. After the portfolio review and presentations to a select panel, the field is narrowed to three finalists. In October, the 2018 Maine Teacher of the Year will be selected after a school site visit and final interview.
The Maine Teacher of the Year is a program of the Maine Department of Education, administered by Educate Maine, a business-led organization working to ensure Maine’s students and workers are the best educated and highly skilled in the world. For more information, visit www.maine.gov/doe/toy/.