Two UMaine alums are Maine Teacher of the Year finalists

Penobscot County Teacher of the Year Kelsey Stoyanova and Waldo County Teacher of the Year Hillary Hoyt, both graduates of the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, have been named finalists for 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year. 

Stoyanova is an eighth grade language arts teacher at Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from UMaine, she has a master of education in literacy education and is working to complete a master of education in educational leadership in 2023. 

Hoyt is a third grade teacher at Leroy H. Smith School in Winterport, where she teaches math, reading, writing, social studies and science. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from UMaine. 

The third finalist is Paige Fournier, the 2021 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year, who is a middle level special educator at Freeport Middle School.

The Maine Department of Education shared a news release with more information about the three finalists, one of whom will be named 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year in October. 

The Maine Teacher of the Year program is administered through a partnership between Maine DOE, Educate Maine, the Maine County and State Teacher of the Year Association, and the Maine State Board of Education.