Excellence in Education Awards Celebrate MCSD Employees

From MCSD: The Manatee County School District’s “Educator of the Year” and “Support Employee of the Year” will be officially named and celebrated this Wednesday, March 8, 2017, when the Manatee County School District hosts the “Excellence in Education Awards” beginning at 7 p.m. at Manatee Technical College’s main campus located on State Road 70 East.

The event is 100 percent paid for by local sponsors through the Manatee Education Foundation.

“The Excellence in Education Awards are always one of the premier events on our School District calendar,” said Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene. “It is a way to recognize and showcase the special qualities and talents of people who have dedicated their careers to educating the children of Manatee County.”

Four finalists in each category have been selected as follows:

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

• Joseph Baker, 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher at Buffalo Creek Middle
• Josephine Johnson, Kindergarten Teacher at Tara Elementary
• Nicholas Leduc, 4th Grade Teacher at Braden River Elementary
• Courtney Walker, 2nd Grade Teacher at Bashaw Elementary

SUPPORT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

• Michael Brackman, Teacher Aide, ESOL at Johnson Middle
• Alfonzo Cruz, Teacher Aide, ESOL at Lee Middle
• Valerie Olmstead-Dugan, Computer Information Specialist for Food and Nutrition Services
• Jennifer Polson, Senior School Secretary at Wakeland Elementary

This year's event will feature performances from groups of students from across the School District and will culminate in the naming of the winners in each category. Each winner will receive a $5,000 check from the Suncoast Credit Union.

Employees, parents, students and community members were given the opportunity to nominate employees, with eachdistrict work site selecting one Educator and one Support Site Representative from the nominations. A rigorous criteriadefined by the Florida Department of Education determines those individuals selected for judging. 43 semifinalists (15 in the Educator category and 28 in the Support category) were reviewed by two separate committees comprised of peers, fellow educators, business partners and administrators. 8 finalists were selected (4 Educator and 4 Support) who advanced to the final round of interviews.

The Educator representative will advance to the Florida Department of Education Macy’s Teacher of the Year competition, while the Support representative will advance to the Florida School Related Employee of the Year competition.

Excellence in Education Awards Sponsors

• Signature Sponsor: Suncoast Credit Union and NDC Construction
• Premier Sponsors: Pittsburgh Pirates/Bradenton Marauders; Manatee Education Foundation
• Dean’s List Sponsors: Bradenton Herald; University of Notre Dame Alumni Club; Florida Blue, Early Learning Coalition
• Reception Sponsor: McIntyre Elwell & Strammer General Contractors, Inc.
• Honorable Mention Sponsors: Long & Associates Architect/ Engineers; AJAX Building Corporation

Photos courtesy of MCSD