AUGUSTA — The 2020 County Teachers of the Year were announced May 14 in a virtual ceremony.
Teachers from all 16 of Maine’s counties were honored in a virtual announcement that was broadcast live on the Maine Department of Education Facebook Page. The ceremony usually takes place in the Maine State House Hall of Flags.
The Maine County Teacher of the Year announcement is held annually in the spring to honor the teachers selected from nominations for Maine Teacher of the Year from each county. The County Teachers of the Year are the finalists for Maine Teacher of the Year, an honor awarded each year to one teacher in Maine.
The educators were each nominated by a member of their community for their exemplary service in education, and dedication to their students. They were selected by a distinguished panel of teachers, principals and business community members from a pool of hundreds of other nominated teachers in their communities.
During the ceremony, teachers were honored by Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin; Executive Director of Educate Maine Jason Judd; State Board of Education member Martha Harris; 2018 Maine Teacher of the Year Kaitlin Young; and 2020 Maine Teacher of the Year Heather Whitaker.
2020 County Teachers of the Year are, by county:
Aroostook — Jocelyn Saucier, Fort Kent Community High School, Fort Kent.
Cumberland — Cindy Soule, Riverton Elementary, Portland.
Hancock — Kathryn Meyer, Mount Desert Island High School, Bar Harbor.
Knox — Alison Babb-Brott, St. George School, St. George.
Lincoln — Heather Webster, Medomak Valley High School, Waldoboro.
Penobscot — Kristy Dube, Fourteenth Street School, Bangor.
Piscataquis — Jessica Gregory, Piscataquis Community Secondary School, Guilford.
Waldo — Sara Pendleton, Captain Albert Stevens School, Belfast .
Washington: Debra Carver, Jonesport-Beals High School, Jonesport.
York — Robert Westerberg, York High School, York.
As ambassadors for teachers, students and quality education in Maine, the Maine County Teachers of the Year are available to make presentations to local and regional organizations. Throughout the summer, they will continue to participate in an intensive State Teacher of the Year selection process.
The Maine Teacher of the Year is a program of the Maine Department of Education, administered and partnered by Educate Maine, a business-led organization working to ensure Maine’s students and workers are the best educated and highly skilled in the world.
