Release Date: Oct 5, 2011 9:40 AM  

Twenty Delaware teachers, representing the almost 9,000 public school teachers in the state’s 19 school districts and charter school network, are vying to be named Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2012.
Gov. Jack Markell will announce the winner on Tuesday, Oct. 18, during the annual awards dinner. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover.  Funding for the award ceremony is made in part by a grant from ING.
The 20 candidates were nominated by their district or charter school during the 2011 calendar year because of their superior ability to inspire students with a love of learning, exemplary demonstration of professional traits, and strong sense of dedication and devotion to teaching.
“Each of these teachers has a different story, a unique path that brought him or her to education, but they share the same motivation for what has kept them in the classroom: their students,” Secretary of Education Dr. Lillian M. Lowery said. “Their love for learning and their love for their students drives them to find ways to reach every child in their classrooms.
“Their dedication to Delaware’s children and passion for this profession is inspiring. Each one of them deserves this honor,” Lowery said.
Each nominated educator submitted a detailed portfolio exemplifying their teaching philosophy.  Five Delaware Department of Education staff members independently evaluated each portfolio.  A former state Teacher of the Year and a member of the DOE staff also visited each candidate’s classroom to observe his or her teaching.   
Taking into consideration the ratings from the portfolio review and classroom observation, another independent panel of non-DOE judges then selected the one teacher who will serve as the 2012 Teacher of the Year. The teacher chosen to become the State Teacher of the Year will become Delaware’s nominee in the national program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and ING.
The Delaware Teacher of the Year also takes on the important task of representing all teachers in the state, addressing community groups, business leaders, legislators, and educational organizations to inform the public about education in Delaware.
By action of the General Assembly, the State Teacher of the Year will receive a $5,000 grant to use for the educational benefit of his or her students, as well as a personal grant of $3,000.  Additionally, all nominees will receive a $2,000 grant from the state.
This year’s nominees are:

District	Name		School	Grade/subject
Appoquinimink	Amy	Jones	Olive B. Loss Elementary	Grade 3
Brandywine	John	Schropp	Concord High School	Social Studies
CR	Carla	Lawson	Caesar Rodney High School	Social Studies
Cape	Kristen	Mitchell	Rehoboth Elementary	Grade 1
Capital	Adam	Baughman	Booker T. Washington	Grade 2
Christina	Cara	Shelton	Maclary Elementary	Grades 2-3 special ed
Colonial	Jennifer	Bufano	Eisenberg Elementary	Grades 4-5 reading intervention
Delmar	Barbara	Hudson	Delmar High School	Grade 12 social studies
Indian River	Sharyn	Crandell	Selbyville Middle School	Grade 6 language arts
Lake Forest	Andrea	Hamilton	Lake Forest East	Grade 3
Laurel	Gina	Voges	North Laurel Elementary	Grade 3
Milford	Kimberly	Webb	Lulu Ross Elementary	Grades12-5 ELA/math
NCCVT	Christine	Shaub	Howard High School of Tech	Grades 9-12 legal admin. assist.
Polytech	Cynthia	Moore	POLYTECH High School	Nursing assisting
Red Clay	Sally	Fraticelli	Richardson Park LC	Grade 5 special ed
Seaford	Thonia	Waters	Frederick Douglass Elementary	Grade 1
Smyrna	Amber	Augustus	JBM Intermediate	Grade 5 math/science/social studies
Sussex Tech	Jean	Johnson	Sussex Technical High School	Grade 9 Mathematics
Woodbridge	Michelle	Cook	Phillis Wheatley Middle School	Grade 6 Mathematics
Charter	Andrew	diMichelle	Edison Charter School	Kindergarten

MEDIA NOTE:  Photographs of all 20 candidates are available on DDOE’s website here.

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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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