Maryanne Cullinan of Great Brook School in Antrim is among the 11 semi-finalists announced by The New Hampshire Department of Education for the 2021 NH Teacher of the Year award. Cullinan was selected from 30 nominees announced earlier this month.
The Teacher of the Year selection process begins at the nomination level where teachers may be nominated by peers, administrators, parents, students or community members as being exceptional. Each of these educators were nominated for their exemplary service in education, dedication to their students and commitment to improving education. The Teacher of the Year Program does not attempt to single out any individual as the best teacher in New Hampshire, but rather to honor one teacher who represents all the excellent teachers in the state.
In lieu of site visits this spring, Teacher of the Year candidates were asked to submit videos highlighting how they made the shift to remote instruction. A selection of these videos from the semi-finalists can be viewed on the Department’s YouTube channel.
The next step in the selection process will examine the candidates’ public speaking skills. The semi-finalists will come to the department and respond to the selection committee to the question: “What is your platform and how can you use that to elevate the teaching profession?” The selection committee will select finalists and hopes to visit their schools in September, with a final recipient selected in October. The 2021 Teacher of the Year will be New Hampshire entrant in the National Teacher of the Year program, and will be honored along with finalists and semi-finalists at the Department’s annual Celebrating Leadership in Education Awards.
The NH Teacher of the Year program honors outstanding Pre-K through high school teachers who represent the positive contributions of all the excellent educators statewide.
For more information, contact Lori Kincaid, New Hampshire Teacher of the Year Program Coordinator, at lori.kincaid@doe.nh.gov