Maryland Teacher Named 2017 National Language Teacher of the Year
BOSTON—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is pleased to announce the 2017 National Language Teacher of the Year has been awarded to Katrina Griffin, a German teacher at North County High School in Glen Burnie, MD, and a member of NECTFL. The award presentation was held during the Opening General Session of the 2016 ACTFL Convention & World Languages Expo in Boston on Friday, Nov. 18.
Katrina Griffin is a German teacher at North County High School in Glen Burnie, MD, as well as the World and Classical Languages Department Chairperson for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. She was named the Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year in 2016, and the Maryland Foreign Language Association Teacher of the Year in 2015, among other teaching awards. She represents the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL).
The award for the ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year is intended to elevate the status of the language teaching profession at the state, regional, and national levels by creating opportunities for recognizing the most accomplished members of the profession. The Teacher of the Year becomes a spokesperson for the language profession to increase the visibility of the importance of learning languages and cultures to the general public.
“ACTFL congratulates Katrina Griffin and Anne Arundel County Public Schools on this prestigious accomplishment. I know that Katrina will represent the language field well in 2017 as she advocates for language programs throughout the country,” said ACTFL President Pete Swanson.
The other four finalists for the annual ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Award representing the other geographic regions of the U.S. were:
Grant Boulanger, Skyview Middle School, St. Paul, MN; Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CSCTFL)
Darcy Pippins, Norman High School, Norman, OK; Southwest Conference on Language Teaching (SWCOLT)
Michelle Whaley, West High School, Anchorage, AK; Pacific Northwest Council for Languages (PNCFL)
Laura Roché Youngworth, Beaumont Middle School, Lexington, KY; Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT)
About ACTFL:
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is the national association for language education professionals from all levels of instruction and representing all languages. With more than 13,000 active members, ACTFL provides innovative professional development opportunities, acclaimed training and certification programs, and widely cited books, publications, scholarly journals, research studies and language education resources, including Foreign Language Annals and The Language Educator magazine. As part of its mission and vision, the organization provides guidance to the profession and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and cultures. ACTFL is a leading national voice among language educators and administrators and is guided by a responsibility to set standards and expectations that will result in high quality language programs.