Folger McKinsey Well Represented at Excellence in Education Awards

Folger McKinsey Elementary School was represented loudly, proudly and frequently at the 27th Annual Excellence in Education Awards banquet held at the BWI Marriott Hotel.

Of the 52 Teacher of the Year nominees recognized on Monday, four came from Folger.

“It was very exciting,” said Folger McKinsey Principal Susan Bachmann. “We have a wonderful staff here at this school. The PTO works with me on deciding how we are going to celebrate the fact that we have so many wonderful staff and couldn’t come up with just one name.”

When deciding who to nominate, Bachmann said the same four names kept coming up and she and the PTO decided they shouldn’t pick just one.

“Parents kept saying what a wonderful teacher they have been and what an impact they have made on their children’s lives,” Bachmann said. “We said we didn’t have to choose and we just nominated all four of them.”

Each time one of the four nominees was recognized Monday night an eruption of pride and cheers could be heard from the Folger table.

Bachmann, who attended the banquet, said not only was some school staff there, but PTO members as well, which she said made for an even better experience.

The night’s top honor, the 2012-2013 Anne Arundel County Public School Teacher of the Year, went to South River High School Spanish teacher Jodie Hogan. But you couldn’t tell the Folger McKinsey crowd they weren’t winners too.

“It was very exciting because we do have so much wonderful staff, and we do want to recognize them because they work so hard,” Bachmann said. “They deserve to be recognized.”

The following Folger McKinsey educators were Teacher of the Year nominees:

• Susan Grieve, fifth grade
• Jessica Meredith, first grade
• Amy Nelson, third grade
• Pamela Nicewarner, kindergarten

Along with the Folger staff, four semifinalists and one nominee from Severna Park schools also were recognized on Monday:

• Amy Kostelnik-Insley, Jones Elementary School (semifinalist)
• Stacy Langhirt, Severna Park Elementary School (semifinalist)
• Michael Philip, Severna Park Middle School (semifinalist)
• Ellen Stanton, St Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School (semifinalist)
• Marjorie Smith, Shipley’s Choice Elementary School