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NH newspapers highlight local Teacher of the Year Semifinalists
June 22, 2020
Manchester, Nashua educators among 11 semi-finalists for NH Teacher of the Year
By Paul Feely
Teachers from Parker-Varney Elementary School in Manchester and the Ledge Street Elementary School in Nashua have been named semifinalists for the 2021 New Hampshire Department of Education Teacher of the Year award.
Alyssa Balboni, a third -and fourth-grade teacher at Parker-Varney and Danielle Boutin, an English language learner teacher at Ledge Street, are among the 11 semi-finalists chosen from 30 nominees previously announced.
June 22, 2020
Rochester, Hampton, Exeter teachers semifinalists for NH’s top award
CONCORD — Teachers from Hampton Academy, Exeter’s Main Street School and Spaulding High School’s R.W. Creteau Regional Technology Center have been named semifinalists for the 2021 New Hampshire Department of Education Teacher of the Year award.
Christina Duffy, a social studies teacher at Hampton Academy, Jay Keough, who teaches criminal justice in Rochester, and Kathleen McCaffrey-Pomerleau, a second grade teacher in Exeter, are among the 11 semifinalists chosen from 30 nominees previously announced.
June 23, 2020
Teacher of the Year semifinalists include Antrim, Winchester educators
By Jack Rooney
Two local educators are one step closer to claiming the title of New Hampshire's "Teacher of the Year."
Maryanne Cullinan, an enrichment teacher in the extended learning program at Great Brook Middle School in Antrim, and Lauren Elliott, a 1st-grade teacher at Winchester School, have been selected as semifinalists for the N.H. Teacher of the Year Award, the state department of education announced Monday. They join nine other semifinalists from around the state, who were chosen from 30 initial nominees.
Cullinan, who lives in Antrim, has worked at Great Brook in the ConVal Regional School District for 11 years, and said she feels torn about the prospect of individual recognition at a time when so many school employees, students and families are facing unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I feel really humble and pleased to be recognized, but the timing of this is honestly a little strange, because after the spring that we’ve all had — including parents and students and everyone — it feels like every single person involved in public education is the teacher of the year," Cullinan said by phone Monday. "We’ve all worked so incredibly hard, and been creative, and put so much passion into turning on a dime."
Elliott, a native Swanzey resident who has taught at Winchester for 10 years, said she was shocked and humbled to reach this stage of the award process.
"I enjoy sharing what I do and I love collaborating and learning from other educators," Elliott wrote in an email Monday. "My hope from this process is that I continue to learn and grow as an educator and that I get a chance to connect with and learn from others in the education profession."
Cullinan and Elliott learned of their nominations for the award in January and February, respectively.