Geskus Studios Sponsors Teacher Of The Year Program

CONCORD – New Hampshire’s Teacher of the Year program has a new sponsor after its donation was approved by the governor and Executive Council last week. Geskus Studios & Yearbook Publishing of Seabrook has made a $5,000 contribution to the New Hampshire Department of Education to partially fund the program. This is the first year the company – which focuses on student photography and publishing, and has been in business since 2004 – has sponsored the program.

“Geskus Studios & Yearbook Publishing, New England’s No. 1 School Picture Company, is proud to sponsor New Hampshire’s Teacher of the Year,” said Rich Carroll, the president of the company. “Day in and day out, we work alongside teachers and see how much passion and dedication they put into the lives of future generations. With so many astounding teachers in the state, we feel honored to be a part of such an important tradition. We want to thank you for your continued partnerships and wish you the best of luck.”

The National Teacher of the Year program, run by the Council of Chief State School Officers and presented by Voya Financial, identifies exceptional teachers, recognizes their effective work in the classroom, amplifies their voices, and empowers them to participate in policy discussions at state and national levels. This award builds community awareness of our state’s finest educators while providing positive messages about the teaching profession.

The 2019 NH Teacher of the Year will be announced at a surprise event at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. A press notice with pictures and video will be released to all media outlets after the event.

“The department is grateful for the generous support by Geskus toward funding this great program that highlights the hard work of a special Granite State teacher each year,” said Christine Brennan, the deputy commissioner of the NH DOE, “It was a very rigorous process but also inspirational to meet so many fantastic teachers. We’re very excited about tomorrow’s announcement.”

This year’s teacher has a long history as an educator and has been commended by their superiors as being dedicated to students and the overall school community. After being feted this week, the teacher – as well as finalists and semi-finalists from around the state – will be celebrated at the Leadership in Education Banquet in December.

The selection process for 2019 was coordinated by Brennan, 2018 NH Teacher of the Year Heidi Crumrine, Cindy Chagnon of the State Board of Education, Carl Ladd, the executive director of the NH School Administrators Association, and Teacher of the Year Coordinator Lori Kincaid.