Release Date: Oct 20, 2004 1:00 AM  

“Top” Teacher to Be Announced Next Tuesday

Dover, Del.–October 20, 2004Nineteen of Delaware’s best educators representing each school district in the State have been nominated for the distinctionof becoming Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2005. The 17 women and two men were chosen by their school districtsfrom nearly 8,000 Delaware teachers statewide.

Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2005 will be announced by Governor Ruth Ann Minner at the annual awards dinner to be held onTuesday, October 26, 2004, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Inn and Conference Center in Dover.

All 19 school districts selected their Teacher of the Year candidate during the 2003-2004 school year.Basic nomination criteria included having a superior ability to inspire students with a love of learning, demonstrating professional traits,and possessing a strong sense of dedication and devotion to teaching.

After being nominated, each district teacher was asked to submit a detailed portfolio of work and philosophy which was reviewed by five“readers” from Delaware’s Department of Education (DOE). Working independently, each reader assigned a numerical value to each portfolio.The next step in the selection process was to conduct a formal observation of each candidate, which was scheduled for late September.Two observers, a former State or district Teacher of the Year and a DOE employee, visited each candidate’s classroomto conduct the observation.

Finally, based on the scores assigned to the portfolios as well as classroom observations,another independent panel of judges selected the one teacher who will serve as the 2005 Teacher of the Year.This panel consisted of: the current State Teacher of the Year; the President of the State Congress of Parents and Teachers;the President of the State Student Council Association; the President of the Delaware State Education Association;a representative of the State Chamber of Commerce; a member of the State Board of Education;and the Chair of the Professional Standards Board.

The teacher chosen to become the State Teacher of the Year will become Delaware’s entrant in the national programsponsored by the Council of Chief State School officers and Scholastic, Inc.

The State Teacher of the Year will also take on the important task of representing all teachers in Delaware.The individual will address community groups, business leaders, legislators, and educational organizationsin an effort to inform the public about the status of Delaware schools.

By action of the General Assembly, the State Teacher of the Year will receive a $5,000 grant to use for the educational benefitof his or her students, as well as a personal grant of $3,000. Additionally, all school district candidates receive a $2,000 grantfor use in their educational field.

All candidates, listed alphabetically by school district, school and grade/subject taught, are as follows:

School District	Teacher	School	Grade/Subject
Appoquinimink	Veronica Perrine	Middletown H.S.	Choral Music
Brandywine	Mary O’Connell	Concord H.S.	Mathematics
Caesar Rodney	Kathleen Thomas	Caesar Rodney H.S.	Grades 10-11 Marketing Education
Cape Henlopen	Charlene Jones	Rehoboth Elementary	Grade 2 Regular & Special Education
Capital	John Augustus, Jr.	William Henry Middle	Grade 5 Math/Science/Reading
Christina	Paula Henderson	Newark H.S.	Grades 10-12 Biology
Colonial	Shirley Rodriquez Moux	Castle Hills Elementary	Grades K-2 ESL
Delmar	Shauneen Giudice	Delmar Middle & Senior H.S.	Grade 7 Science
Indian River	Cynthia Baker	Sussex Central Middle	Grade 7 Geography
Lake Forest	Sandra Krugh	Lake Forest North Elementary	Grade 1
Laurel	Marilyn Neat	Paul Dunbar Elementary	Grades K-1 Reading Specialist
Milford	Amanda Parisi	Milford Middle & H.S.	Grades 6-12 ESL
NCCo Vo-Tech	Raymond Theilacker	Howard H.S. of Technology	Grade 12 English
POLYTECH	Lynne McIntosh	POLYTECH H.S.	Grades 9-12 Child Developoment
Red Clay Consolidated	Barbara Borleske	A.I. duPont H.S.	Grades 10-12 Chemistry
Seaford	Kimberley Myran	Frederick Douglass Elementary	Grade 5
Smyrna	Diane Marthaler	North Smyrna Elementary	Grade 1
Sussex Technical	Sabrina Neal	Sussex Technical H.S.	Grades 9-12 Business Education
Woodbridge	Elizabeth Morrison	Phillis Wheatley Middle	Grades 5-8 ILC Language Arts & Science

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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.	Contact Info. Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us
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