Friday, March 12–County Teachers Eye Award

NEWARK – Fourteen Worcester County Public School teachers are being honored as their school’s 2010 Teacher of the Year, and one will be recognized as the county’s top teacher.

“The Teacher of the Year program, now in its 23rd year, is designed to focus community attention on teaching excellence, recognizing teachers who exemplify the highest of teaching standards and who have earned the respect of students, parents, colleagues, and administrators,” explained Teacher of the Year Coordinator Barbara Witherow. “One of these outstanding teachers will be named on March 26 as the 2010 Worcester County Teacher of the Year and will represent our school system and county at the state competition.”

Each of the 14 Worcester County Teacher of the Year candidates was judged by a panel of six educators on a comprehensive portfolio and on a 20-minute interview. The candidate with the highest composite score from both components will be named as the 2010 Worcester County Teacher of the Year at a banquet on March 26 at the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel.

Last year, over 300 teachers, administrators, Board of Education members, dignitaries, sponsors, friends, and family members were present to hear the naming of the 2009 Worcester County Teacher of the Year, Alison Giska of Snow Hill High School, who was later named as a state finalist for the 2010 Maryland Teacher of the Year.

The 2010 Worcester County Teacher of the Year will continue to the state level to compete with 23 other candidates representing their Maryland school district. Seven state finalists will be named in August 2010, and the 2011 Maryland Teacher of the Year will be named in October 2010.

“Over the last five years,” said Witherow, “Worcester County Public Schools has had four state finalists and one Maryland Teacher of the Year (2007, Michelle Hammond).”

This year’s nominees, pictured, are Sallie Custodio, a health education teacher and service learning team leader at Berlin Intermediate School; Christine Green, an eighth grade algebra eacher at Stephen Decatur Middle School; Thomas Hamill, an English teacher at Snow Hill High School; Donna Huff, a kindergarten teacher at Pocomoke Elementary School; Tracy Hunter, a health occupations teacher at Worcester Technical High School; Angela Landreth, an eighth grade algebra teacher at Snow Hill Middle School; Allison Lucas, a special education teacher at Cedar Chapel Special School; Grace Mitchell, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Ocean City Elementary School; Sheryl Mitrecic, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Buckingham Elementary School; Melissa Powers, a fifth grade special education teacher at Pocomoke Middle School; Lawrence Ryan, a technology education teacher at Stephen Decatur High School; Jesse Serig, a U.S. History and government teacher at Pocomoke High School;  Georgia Vasiliou-Wierengo, a third grade teacher at Snow Hill Elementary School; and Catherine Woodland, a kindergarten teacher at Showell Elementary School.