Seminole High School Band Director Honored By Pinellas County Schools

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A Seminole High School educator was named the 2024 Teacher of the Year for Pinellas County Schools.

Gerard Madrinan was announced as the winner at Monday night’s annual Evening of Excellence hosted at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg by the Pinellas Education Foundation, according to a news release from the school district.

One of 10 finalists, he was among 130 teachers chosen as Teacher of the Year at their respective schools.

A graduate of Pinellas County Schools, Madrinan is the band director and a music teacher at Seminole High School.

He holds a bachelor of music education and a master of music in instrumental conducting from the University of South Florida.

Madrinan first fell in love with Seminole High School’s marching grade as a fourth grader, when his older brother was in the band. For the last 33 years, he has been connected to the marching band — from watching the band perform as a child to now serving as its director.

This year, under his leadership, the band was chosen to perform in the 2024 Rose Parade.

The most profound part of Seminole High School’s performing arts community is the students he has worked with, as well as the parents, teachers, and administrators who have become lifelong friends, Madrinan said.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to change students’ lives for the better,” he said. “It’s an exhilarating mission that has never felt like a job. It’s a privilege to work with students every day. My hope is to inspire them to work hard at what they do, believe in themselves, and love the process of getting up each and every morning.”

Madrinan’s classroom motto is: “You don’t have to do this; you get to do this."

The band director “embodies how academic excellence through the performing arts positively changes the lives of the students in his classroom. The student experiences he creates through music, community engagement, and commitment to a team have a life-long impact,” Kevin Hendrick, district superintendent, said.

The superintendent added, “As a Seminole High School alum, Mr. Madrinan’s dedication to his students extends to his coworkers, families and the community at large. All of the ten finalists exemplify excellence in teaching and selecting one representative is always incredibly difficult. We celebrate Gerard Madrinan and all of our teachers as they are the heart of our district and work daily to achieve 100 (percent) student success.”

The other Teacher of the Year finalists were Deanna Barthel, Clearwater Fundamental Middle; Lisa Bitting, Palm Harbor University High; Sadra Bostick, Ponce de Leon Elementary; Kristin Campbell, Sandy Lane Elementary; Karin David, East Lake Middle; Debbie Georgia-Stein, Gibbs High; Kristin Jennings, Bay Vista Fundamental Elementary; Naomi Middlebrooks, Maximo Elementary; and Cole Pierce, Tyrone Middle.

Finalists were named by a panel of judges based on multiple criteria with the winner selected in a second round of scoring.