{"id":1596,"date":"2014-08-28T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2014-08-28T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/?p=1596"},"modified":"2015-12-23T08:42:44","modified_gmt":"2015-12-23T13:42:44","slug":"finalists-named-for-the-2014-2015-maryland-teacher-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/finalists-named-for-the-2014-2015-maryland-teacher-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Finalists Named For The 2014-2015 Maryland Teacher Of The Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Statewide Winner To Be Announced In October<\/em><\/h3>\n

For Immediate Release<\/p>\n

Contact: Bill Reinhard, 410-767-0486, Dr. Darla Strouse, 410-767-0369<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery today announced the names of seven finalists for 2014-2015 Maryland Teacher of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur finalists represent the creative and thoughtful work taking place in classrooms each day from one end of our State to the other,\u201d said Dr. Lowery.\u00a0 \u201cMaryland\u2019s education system is highly regarded because we simply have the nation\u2019s best teachers, providing our students with world-class instruction that is a path to future success.\u201d<\/p>\n

The finalists are: Kelly O\u2019Hara, Cecil County<\/em><\/strong>; Erin Doolittle, Frederick County<\/em><\/strong>; Jody Zepp, Howard County<\/em><\/strong>; Jane Lindsay, Montgomery County<\/em><\/strong>; Anna Breland, Somerset County<\/em><\/strong>; Bridget Whited, Talbot County<\/em><\/strong>; and Courtney Leard, Washington County<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The finalists were selected by a panel of judges from key Maryland education organizations representing principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, parents and higher education. Finalists were measured against a rigorous set of national criteria that include teaching philosophy and results, community involvement, knowledge of general education issues, and suggestions for professional and instructional improvement.<\/p>\n

The 2014-2015 Maryland Teacher of the Year<\/a><\/u><\/em> will be announced during a gala reception and dinner at Martin\u2019s West in Baltimore on October 10. The winner will receive cash awards, technology equipment, national travel opportunities, and a new car valued at more than $25,000, donated by the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association.<\/p>\n

Maryland has had a history of national success with its Teacher of the Year Program.\u00a0 Sean McComb, the current National Teacher of the Year, is Maryland\u2019s 2013-14 Teacher of the Year.\u00a0 He is the third Maryland educator to receive the national honor since 2006.<\/p>\n

Presenting sponsors of the Maryland Teacher of the Year Program are Comcast, the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association, McDonald\u2019s Family of Maryland, and Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. Platinum sponsors are BGE, Lockheed Martin, Maryland Public Television, NTA Life and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.<\/p>\n

The Maryland Teacher of the Year will go on to compete for the esteemed National Teacher of the Year Award, to be announced next April. The winner will also spend the coming year as a speaker and advisor in Maryland. The Maryland Teacher of the Year will be honored by the President at the White House next spring, participate in several national meetings and conferences, as well as in National Space Camp with fellow State Teachers of the Year.<\/p>\n

Additional information on the seven 2014-15 finalists follows:<\/p>\n

Cecil County\/Kelly O\u2019Hara\/Elkton High School \u2013 Social Studies, Grades 9-12<\/u><\/strong>
\nKelly O\u2019Hara is an alumna of Elkton High School where she now teaches. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History Secondary Education from Salisbury University in 2005 and a Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an Administration I certification from McDaniel College in 2011. Kelly has developed her skills as a teacher-leader by serving as School Improvement Team Facilitator, Internal Coordinator for her school\u2019s Middle States reaccreditation process, and Lead Teacher of the social studies department. She has presented professional development at the national, state, and local level. Kelly writes curriculum, supervises student teachers, and mentors new teachers.<\/p>\n

Frederick County\/Erin Doolittle\/Hillcrest Elementary School \u2013 Pre-Kindergarten<\/u><\/strong>
\nErin Doolittle is a cornerstone of her school community at Hillcrest Elementary, a Title 1 school with the highest percentage of English Language Learner students in the state. As a pre-kindergarten teacher and the \u201cwelcome wagon\u201d to the world of education, Erin works tirelessly to ensure success for her students and families by connecting them to vital resources, visiting each family at their home, and volunteering at Judy Center events and family nights. Erin earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Education in 2003 and M.S. in Reading Specialization in 2011, both from Hood College. As an advocate for early childhood education, Erin collaborates with child care professionals and presents at conferences and professional development events.<\/p>\n

Howard County\/Jody Zepp\/Hammond High School \u2013 Psychology & Government,
\nGrades 10-12<\/u><\/strong>
\nJody Zepp received her B.A. in political science from McDaniel College, and her M.A. in political science from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. As the 2014 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher for Howard County, she believes that \u201cstudents can talk about a future only<\/em> when they can see one.\u201d Zepp received the Class Nobel Educator of Distinction<\/em> for two consecutive years as well as three Howard County Council Honorary Resolution Awards for coaching the EconChallenge Maryland State Champions and C-SPAN Documentary winners. Zepp has increased minority enrollment in advanced placement courses and has increased passing ratios for minority students on both college and state exams.<\/p>\n

Montgomery County\/Jane Lindsay\/John Poole Middle School \u2013 English,
\nGrades 6-8<\/u><\/strong>
\nJane Lindsay, 8th grade English teacher, department chair, and Leadership Team member is also the Marion Greenblatt Education Award recipient. She began her career-long passion for teaching reading and writing at the elementary level before moving to middle school. She holds a B.A. in Education from The Catholic University of America and an M.S. in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University. Mrs. Lindsay thrives on the challenges of helping students think critically about literature, media, and their own writing.<\/p>\n

Somerset County \/ Anna Breland \/ Crisfield Academy & High School \u2013 World Languages,
\nGrades 8 \u2013 12<\/u><\/strong>
\nAnna Breland ignites her students\u2019 interest in learning foreign languages by incorporating intercultural experiences, technology and hands-on activities to empower students to be college and career ready. Mrs. Breland collaborates with foreign language teachers and participates in professional learning communities in order to ensure high-quality education for her students. She facilitates school professional development, is a member of the School Improvement Team and mentors teacher interns. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education, from Minsk State Linguistic University and is currently working on an ESL certification.<\/p>\n

Talbot County\/Bridget Whited\/St. Michaels High School \u2013 Art, Grades 9-12 <\/u><\/strong>
\nBridget Whited is a published sponsor of the National Art Honor Society, a member of the CARE Team, Teacher Evaluation Committee and School Improvement Team and facilitates Equity PD to colleagues. She has a BS degree in Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is pursuing a Masters in Educational Leadership at the University of Massachusetts. \u00a0She is recognized for her community artwork involving ALL students and her ability to also include those students with disabilities in Advanced Placement Studio Art. Her Art room incorporates all subjects including STEM and Common Core infusion. \u00a0Bridget received consecutive Artist in Residence Grants to provide hands on learning focused on community outreach and the importance of the visual arts in education.<\/p>\n

Washington County\/Courtney Leard\/Fountaindale School for the Arts and <\/u><\/strong>
\nAcademic Excellence \u2013 2nd Grade<\/u><\/strong>
\nCourtney Leard develops integrated curriculum for the Common Core State Standards. \u00a0She presents at state and international conferences and facilitates school-based Professional Learning Communities. Her passion for learning is evident in her environmental partnerships, volunteer work, and the organization of after-school learning academies for students to explore STEM and the Arts. She has been a recipient of Governor O\u2019Malley\u2019s Schoolshed Stream Restoration Grant, Boeing\u2019s Educator in Space Grant, and an Honorable Mention for the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators. She received her undergraduate degree from Mary Baldwin College and post-graduate studies from Grand Canyon University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Statewide Winner To Be Announced In October
\nFor Immediate Release
\nContact: Bill Reinhard, 410-767-0486, Dr. Darla Strouse, 410-767-0369
\n 
\nState Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery today announced the   …Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9],"tags":[102],"class_list":["post-1596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-newsreleases","tag-maryland-teacher-of-the-year"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/79"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1596"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1597,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596\/revisions\/1597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}