Maine County Teachers of the Year Chosen

The Maine Department of Education has announced the 16 educators chosen as Maine’s 2014 county teachers of the year. One of the 16 will be selected in the fall as Maine’s Teacher of the Year for 2015.

Educate Maine, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, agreed last year to partner with the state to manage the Maine Teacher of the Year program. This is the first year individual county representatives were picked. The winner will be chosen by review panelists to include former teachers of the year, Department of Education officials and members of the professional and business community.

According to the Portland Press Herald, the county winners now will serve as ambassadors for teachers, students and quality education while competing for the 2015 Teacher of the Year award. That competition is a process that consists of producing a classroom video, school visits by a review panel, a review of a professional portfolio, oral presentations and interviews.

These are some of the local teachers chosen:

• Androscoggin: Gordon “Skip” Crosby, Poland Regional High School
• Franklin: Sarah Reynolds, Cascade Brook School, Farmington
• Kennebec: Daniel Crocker, Hall Dale Middle School, Farmingdale
• Knox: Kristi Todd, Union Elementary School
• Lincoln: Cordelia “Cory” Chase, Boothbay Region Elementary School
• Oxford: Jeffrey Bailey, Mountain Valley High School, Rumford
• Sagadahoc: Eric Varney, Morse High School, Bath
• Somerset: Jennifer Dorman, Skowhegan Area Middle School
• Waldo: Phyllis Frkuska-Heeren, Edna Drinkwater Elementary School, Northport