Two UMaine grads among the finalists for 2023 Maine Teacher of the Year
University of Maine College of Education and Human Development alumnae Heather Anderson (‘99) and Emily Albee (‘06, ‘09G, ‘12G) have been named finalists for 2023 Maine Teacher of Year.
Anderson is an 8th grade English Language Arts/Social Studies teacher at Caribou Community School and the 2022 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at UMaine. She also holds a master’s from the University of New England.
“I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to collaborate with other amazing educators, to reflect on my own teaching practices, and to shine a light on the incredible educators in Aroostook County and in the great state of Maine,” Anderson said in a Maine Department of Education news release.
Albee, the 2022 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year, teaches social studies at Hampden Academy. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and history from UMaine, as well as a graduate certificate in innovation engineering, a Master of Education and a Certificate of Advanced Study from UMaine.
“I continue to be honored and grateful to serve as the 2022 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year, working with a tremendous and talented cohort of 15 other county teachers. To be included as 1 of the 4 finalists for Maine Teacher of the Year energizes me to continue to advocate for students, teachers, and education in Maine,” Albee said.
They are joined as finalists by 2022 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year Matthew Bernstein, a social studies teacher at Casco Bay High School in Portland, who graduated from Bowdoin College; and 2022 Oxford County Teacher of the Year Ashley Bryant, a math, writing and science teacher at Sacopee Valley Middle School, who holds degrees from the University of Maine at Farmington and University of Southern Maine.
The Maine Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year program is administered through a partnership with Educate Maine, the Maine County and State Teacher of the Year Association (MCSTOYA) and the Maine State Board of Education.
The 2023 Maine Teacher of the Year will be announced in October.