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Home > Teacher Of The Year > 2009 Nominees 2009 Teacher of the Year NomineesDue to the high quality of all nomination packets, all nine of this year's nominees are moving forward in the selection process and have been named Regional Finalists.
Christine Bossie
Principal: Deborah Goding As one of the first grade classrooms implementing the inclusionary model at Montello School in Lewiston , Christine Bossie “loves knowing that every day I have the ability to touch the lives of so many children.” Mrs. Bossie takes pride in her ability to balance the challenges of meeting the needs of her four special education students as well as her 17 other students, which include several non English speakers. Mrs. Bossie believes “children are born with a sense of wonder” and she fosters that by providing a classroom that is literature-rich, colorful, and challenging by incorporating cooperative group games, the use of manipulatives, and other high-interest activities.
Shari Brinkman-Young
Principal: Britton Wolfe Shari Brinkman-Young celebrates the uniqueness and individual strengths of her English students at Biddeford High School . It is a priority for Ms. Brinkman-Young to find at least three characteristics in each student to celebrate and nurture, then she works to provide them with the opportunities to express and develop their individual passions. Ms. Brinkman-Young's shares her experiences with her students, encourages them to be connected to their community and to make a difference while carrying out their goals as citizens. It is this passion for teaching the whole student – human, scholar, and citizen - that inspire and motivate not only her students, but her colleagues as well.
Michelle Gagne
Principal: Katherine Grondin When you enter Michelle Gagne's first grade classroom at Sherwood Heights School in Auburn , you will soon understand why and how Mrs. Gagne integrates “Belief Building Vocabulary” and “Yearlong Curriculum Routines” into her daily lessons. The “Belief Building Vocabulary” encourages the students to use words like confidence, self-control and expectations. This provides a framework for both their behavior and quality of work. “Yearlong Curriculum Routines” are established by designing developmentally appropriate routines that all students can master and repeat. The consistency acts as a safety net for struggling students, while allowing more capable students to advance at their own pace in Mrs. Gagne's class.
David Giroux
Director: Barry Lohnes David Giroux specializes in individualized instruction, assisted by educational technicians and experienced students. Utilizing computer assisted instruction, David Giroux maintains high standards, as evidenced by his reputation among automobile technicians throughout our sending school communities. A pioneer for an eco-friendly work environment, Mr. Giroux teaches environmental responsibility; he knows that "Green Safety" will become a primary benchmark for automobile technology. Mr. Giroux's former students return often to visit their mentor, proud of their learning experience in David Giroux's Automobile Technology class.
Lois Kilby-Chesley
Principal: Holly Couturier One of the “founding mothers” of the Spring Hill Program at Mast Landing School , Lois Kilby-Chesley empowers her elementary level students in grades 3-5 to act as legislators who have a voice in many of their daily classroom activities. By engaging the children in decision-making they have ownership for their classroom; the result being a highly motivated group of students. It is the goal of Ms. Kilby-Chesley that her students develop responsibility for personal decisions, and a sense of place in the community, while meeting high academic standards. Students leave her classroom knowing that kindness, honesty, and respect for others are equally as important to global citizenship as academic success.
Gloria Noyes
Principal: Peter Lancia Through her experience at Congin Elementary School in Westbrook, Gloria Noyes finds it a privilege to inspire young people to achieve their dreams. She takes the time to know her students' personalities, dreams, and needs. By using herself as a model, Mrs. Noyes allows the children to catch glimpses of her life as a child and an adult. This helps build a balanced rapport of familiarity and respect – a real hallmark of her teaching philosophy. Mrs. Noyes takes special pride in her class of fifth graders as they reach out to a local nursing home by going on monthly visits to their “grand-buddies”.
Diane Pitman
Principal: Jerry Burnell Flexible, adaptable, and patient are the words that best describe Diane Pitman, an elementary special education teacher at Marshwood Great Works School in South Berwick . Mrs. Pitman maintains high expectations for her students, while instilling a sense of responsibility in them; teaching them to weigh their options and accept the consequences of the choices they made. Mrs. Pitman's classroom serves as an example of best practices for other educators as they observe her building confidence in her students, modifying their behavior and leading by example.
Jonathan Sylvester
Headmaster: Carl Stasio, Jr. As a secondary special education instructor at Thornton Academy in Saco, Jonathan Sylvester believes that by sharing his own diagnosis of a learning disability not only strengthens the relationship he has with his students, but also encourages them to apply new knowledge to succeed. Mr. Sylvester continually demonstrates his passion for working with teenagers who have developmental, behavioral, intellectual and physical challenges. His creative flair shines through in the Functional Life Skills program that Mr. Sylvester has spent years expanding and improving to help provide his students with the skills necessary to live as independently as possible.
Diana Tomasello Waterman
Principal: Virginia Drouin An avid lover of music, diana tomasello waterman of Alfred Elementary School believes in “the empowering value of music in a child's life”. Ms. Waterman strives for children to have fun and feel as passionate about music and life as she does. She models this behavior in her classroom by incorporating respect and tolerance, reflecting a social conscience, and by creating an accepting environment that fosters positive thinking and positive behavior. Ms. Waterman includes issues and events integral to her students as part of her curriculum, and she exposes her students to music that is eclectic in genre and is relevant to our nation's culture.
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