--“Top” teacher to be announced next Tuesday--

(Dover, DE.) – Nineteen of Delaware’s best educators representing each school district in the State have been nominated for the distinction of becoming Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2007.  The 15 women and four men were chosen by their school districts from nearly 7500 Delaware teachers statewide.

Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2009 will be announced by Governor Ruth Ann Minner at the annual awards dinner to be held on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center in Dover.   

All 19 school districts selected their Teacher of the Year candidate during the 2008-2009 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 exemplifying their teaching philosophy with examples of their work.  The portfolio was then 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 member of the DOE staff, visited each candidate’s classroom to 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 2009 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 or if necessary, their designees. 

The teacher chosen to become the State Teacher of the Year will become Delaware’s entrant in the national program sponsored 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 organizations in 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 $5000 grant to use for the educational benefit of his or her students, as well as a personal grant of $3000.  Additionally, all school district candidates receive a $2000 grant.

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

School District	Teacher	School	Grade/Subject
Appoquinimink	Debbie Kirk	Louis Redding Middle	Grades 6-8 Agriscience
Brandywine	Kathleen Gilbert	Springer Middle School	Grade 8 English/Language Arts
Caesar Rodney	Cherie Bergold	W.B. Simpson Elementary	Grades 3-5 Reading Support
Cape Henlopen	Janet Andrelczyk	Mariner Middle School	Grade 7 English/Language Arts
Capital	Janice Hadley	Fairview Elementary	Grade 3
Christina	Gretchen Wolfe	Brader Elementary	Grade 1
Colonial	Jennifer Bonham	William Penn High School	Grades 10-12 Mathematics
Delmar	Shay-Lynn McPhail
Indian River	Michael Lingenfelter	Selbyville Middle School	Grade 6 Mathematics
Lake Forest	Mark Teesdale	Lake Forest Central	Grades 4-5 Music & Chorus
Laurel	Robert Todd	North Laurel Elementary	Grade 3 Special Education
Milford	Jodi Messick	Evelyn Morris Early Childhood Ctr	Grade 1
NCCo Vo-Tech	Justin Benz	Hodgson Vo-Tech High School	Grades 9-12 Environmental Landscape Technology
POLYTECH	Virginia Terczak	POLYTECH High School	Grades 9-10 Special Education
Red Clay Consolidated	Barbara Prillaman	Conrad Schools of Science	Grades 6-8 ELL Social Studies, ELA
Seaford	Jennifer Leonard	Seaford Middle School	Grade 7 English/Language Arts
Smyrna	Deborah Kenton	Sussex Technical High School	Grades 9-12 Social Studies
Sussex Technical	Lauren Shanklin	Clayton Elementary	Grades K-4 Physical Education
Woodbridge	Karen Breeding	Woodbridge High School	Grades 9-12 Agriscience

Delaware’s Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.