Presque Isle Middle School names Walmarts Teacher of the Year

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – For over 35 years, teacher Marianne Mills has nurtured, encouraged and praised her students. Now, Mills’ crop of young scholars has returned the favor and helped bestow high praise on one of their favorite teachers.
Mills, a seventh-grade English, language arts/reading teacher at Presque Isle Middle School, was recently named the local Wal-Mart’s Teacher of the Year.
    “On May 18, a representative from Wal-Mart came into my classroom and presented me with the award,” said Mills. “I was wiped away … touched, surprised and in awe. When he first came in, I thought he was giving an award to one of the kids. I said, ‘Go ahead,’ and he said, ‘No. This award is for you.’”
Ironically, Mills called the local store the day before inquiring about grant money.
“Since MBNA is no longer available, I thought I’d call Wal-Mart and the man I spoke to said he had business at the school Friday morning and he’d come up and see me then,” she said. “He knew then that he was going to be giving me money.”
As the local Teacher of the Year recipient, Mills received a framed certificate, a shirt, a $100 gift certificate to Wal-Mart, and a $1,000 educational grant to be used however she sees fit.
“I want to involve my team in the spending of the money,” she said. “We’ll probably look at bringing some drama like the Penobscot Theatre Co. or guest speakers to the school.”
Mills said it means a lot to her to receive the award since she was nominated by students and their parents.
“There was a box at Wal-Mart and an invitation for people – parents and students – to nominate a teacher,” she said. “I was told locally there were 100 nominations, and that I was selected because of the quality of the kids’ comments.”
As a local Teacher of the Year winner, Mills is eligible to apply for the state award. State winners will receive a one-year membership to Phi Delta Kappa and an additional $10,000 educational grant for their schools. State winners are automatically entered in the national competition.
Finally, one national Teacher of the Year will be selected from the state winners. The national Teacher of the Year will receive an additional $25,000 educational grant for a total of $36,000 to his or her school.
Mills said she has applied for the state recognition.
“I had to write essays and get letters of recommendation,” she said. “It was a whole packet.
“I’m not one who likes to publicize myself,” said Mills, “but since Wal-Mart gave me the award, I felt it was my responsibility to continue the process that they had started with the wonderful award they gave me.”
Mills said the award is meaningful because it isn’t “politically motivated.”
“It feels good to know that students and parents had deposited nice comments on cards to the point where out of 100 nominations, I was selected,” she said. “That makes me very happy. I guess kids and parents feel about me the way I feel about them.”
PIHS Principal Anne Blanchard said Mills is more than deserving of the award.
“She is a teacher who awakens in her students inspiration for learning and the desire to be citizens of character and compassion,” said Blanchard. “She has very high standards for herself; for her students. Every moment in Mrs. Mills’ classroom is time well spent. She views each of the 43-minute class periods as a valuable commodity; there is no ‘down time’ in her classroom.
“Students trust and believe in Mrs. Mills because she enthusiastically believes in them and they know it. She considers them first in every aspect of her role and responsibilities as their teacher,” she said. “She is a teacher who intuitively understands how to successfully interact with young adolescents. She enthusiastically builds rapport with them so that a trusting relationship develops. Mrs. Mills understands differences in learning styles and abilities, and strategizes to encourage each student to develop increased confidence and to be proud of his or her achievements.”
In recommending their colleague for the state Teacher of the Year award, Mills’ co-workers expressed their admiration for her, as well.
“Her energy, creativity, and love for teaching and her students is an inspiration to our team and to all of the teachers she works with,” said fellow seventh-grade team members Kevin Sipe, Judy Perkins and Cindy Cote. “As a member of our team, she often is the leader in creating interdisciplinary units and in bringing new ideas for projects to the group.
“Just this year, she was instrumental in the creation of a storytelling unit, a Shakespeare unit, and a Reading Buddies Program with the elementary schools,” the teachers said. “Her grant writing for the school has allowed our team to purchase cameras and other technology for student use, a visit from a professional storyteller, and a variety of literacy materials for our classrooms. Such leadership on her part has allowed us to offer our students a variety of experiences that would not otherwise have been available to them. She is a valuable member of our team, the school, and the community.”
The Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year program is one of the largest teacher recognition programs in the country. Since its inception in 1995, the program has recognized more than 30,000 teachers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and contributed more than $28 million to those schools.
The Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Foundation partners with Phi Delta Kappa International, the world’s leading education association, to implement this recognition program. This year, 4,219 local winners were selected and announced in May in honor of National Teacher Day.
Whether she receives the state award or not, Mills said she’s honored that her students – and Wal-Mart – think so highly of her.
“This really means a lot to me,” she said. “I love working with middle school kids, and it’s a great feeling that they think well of me, as well. I’ve been teaching for 36 years and nothing like this has ever happened.
“If I don’t receive the state award,” said Mills, “the letters of recommendation with the nice things that people said about me I’ll forever hold in my heart.”
Mills is one of 25 local Teacher of the Year winners in the state of Maine.