WATERVILLE, MAINE, November 2017 — Educate Maine’s Maine Teacher of the Year Program will host its annual gala at Thomas College this year on November 10 at 5 p.m.
The gala will honor this year’s 2018 Maine Teacher of the Year Kaitlin Young, and the 2017 County Teachers of the Year, and includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and award ceremony.
In spring 2017, Thomas College’s Center for Innovation in Education and Educate Maine’s Maine Teacher of the Year program announced a partnership to help Maine’s future teachers thrive.
This partnership includes an annual day-long teacher-in-residence program for Maine Teacher of the Year finalists, participation in Thomas College’s Center for Innovation’s Summer Institute, a professional development program, and the opportunity to nominate students for Thomas College’s Future Teachers Academy , a program for high school students who are aspiring educators.
“We are so happy the gala will be held at Thomas College this year, and to be partnered with this very important program,” said Thomas College President Laurie Lachance. “Educating our children is the single greatest investment we can make in the future of our communities and our economy. And the truly transformative impact of education is unleased, in significant part, by great teachers who help students understand their unlimited potential.”
Educate Maine administers the Maine Teacher of the Year program for the Maine Department of Education.
“The Maine Teacher of the Year Gala is an opportunity for us to honor and celebrate the County and State Teachers of the Year. The Maine Teacher of the Year process is rigorous and the Gala is a way for our program and event sponsors to say ‘thank you’ and ‘great job’ for all you do in your classrooms on behalf of Maine students,” said Educate Maine Program Director Dolly Sullivan. “We are excited to hold the event on the campus of Thomas College, one of our strong program partners.”
About Thomas College: Founded in 1894, Thomas College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs ranging from business, entrepreneurship, and technology, to education, criminal justice, and psychology. Its Guaranteed Job Program, the first of its kind in the nation, is built on student’s academic, career, and leadership preparation. Thomas is also home to the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Center for Innovation in Education. Money Magazine recently ranked Thomas 23rd in the Country for adding the most value to their degrees, and data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 15 percent of all college and universities in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates. For more information, visit wwwold.thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley at rileym@thomas.edu or 207-859-1313.
About Educate Maine: Educate Maine is a business-led education advocacy organization championing college and career readiness and increasing the educational attainment of the Maine workforce. Educate Maine believes that education is the catalyst and foundation for individual success, engaged citizenship, and a sustainable healthy economy. Educate Maine manages programs that achieve that mission: Project>Login, Maine Teacher of the Year Program, Education Leaders Experience and annual release of the Maine Education Indicators Report. For more information, visit www.educatemaine.org or contact Ed Cervone at 207-347-8638.