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Staying Connected with Virtual Trivia Night
County Teachers of the Year Named
Congratulations to the teachers named County Teachers of the Year. Teachers from all 16 of Maine’s counties were honored in a virtual announcement. The Maine County Teacher of the Year announcement is held annually in the spring to honor the teachers selected from nominations for Maine Teacher of the Year from each county. The County Teachers of the Year are the finalists for Maine Teacher of the Year, an honor awarded each year to one teacher in Maine. 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. Below are the MEA members who have received this honor. Jocelyn Saucier, Aroostook – NORTHERN AROOSTOOK EA Cindy Soule, Cumberland – PORTLAND EA Melissa Hoisington, Franklin – MT ABRAM TA Alison Babb-Brott, Knox – ST GEORGE EA Tonya Prentice, Oxford – TELSTAR EA Kristy Dube, Penobscot – BANGOR EA Jessica Gregory, Piscataquis – SAD 04 TA Bree Candland, Sagadahoc – MERRYMEETING TA Debbie Carver, Washington – MOOSABEC TA Rob Westerberg, York – YORK TA
Student Artwork on Display
While educators can’t go out for trivia night, they still found a fun way to stay in and stay connected to each other. Members from central Maine held a virtual trivia night. The Hermon Hawks vs. the Waterville Panthers Members competed against each other in a fun, friendly match. The theme of the night: Maine based trivia to celebrate the state’s bicentennial.
MEA Member Wins Suit, Seated on Town Council After being elected to the town council in Gorham, and then being denied the seat by the council because she worked as an ed tech in the Gorham School District, MEA member Janet Kuech will finally get to serve on the council. MEA supported Kuech as she sued the Town of Gorham for denying her to serve, even after she won the election. After an agreement with the town, Kuech was sworn in as a member of the town council, agreeing to recuse herself on any votes related to the Gorham education department, and she agreed to resign her position as a part-time librarian for the town. “I’m prepared to serve,” said Kuech. “I am glad that this phase of my journey is now over and I can look forward to learning more and working hard collaboratively to continue leading Gorham into the complex future ahead of us,” said Kuech. Janet celebrates her win with a root beer.
Congratulations to the 30 students from around the state who were selected by their teachers through the Maine Art Education Association to have their artwork framed and hung at the MEA headquarters in Augusta. The student artists range in age from first grade through 12th. The artwork displayed will hang in the MEA office for the year and ranges in medium from acrylic on canvas board to mixed media to plexiglass etching. Following the display, students receive their artwork, framed for free by MEA with a sponsorship from Horace Mann, to keep as a thank you to both the student and teacher for providing the Association with beautiful work for the Augusta office. 4
Maine Educator • June 2020
