Calvert County 2015 Teacher of the Year Robert F. James, left, receives the keys to his car from Geoff Wanamaker of Bayside Toyota/Chevrolet.
Chesapeake Beach, MD – There’s more than just an apple on the desk for the educator who is deemed Calvert County’s Teacher of the Year. As explained by Maryland State Department of Education Partnership and Recognition Programs Executive Director Dr. Darla Strouse during her remarks at Calvert County Public Schools’ annual celebration, the Old Line State’s top teachers get tickets to sporting events, attend a play on Center Stage, go on a cruise to St. Michael’s and receive numerous other perks.
In Calvert County, the year’s top teacher gets a car—courtesy of Bayside Toyota/Chevrolet, on a two-lease—that gives the recipient high visibility wherever they drive.
While the winner of such a distinction might have good reason to behave like a Wheel of Fortune winner, the 2015 Calvert County Teacher of the Year, Robert F. James of Huntingtown High School (HHS), was profoundly appreciative of his selection. James, an Upstate New York native who teaches advanced placement U.S. history and advanced writing at HHS, thanked the school’s principal, Rick Weber, for his leadership.
To win the honor, James was selected over 24 other candidates—each representing a Calvert County public school—by an eight-person selection committee, which included the previous two teachers of the year. “You guys blew me away,” said 2014 Teacher of the Year Laura Collins, a science teacher at Plum Point Middle School. She told the assembled educations to always “have faith in what is seemingly inconceivable.”
James, who together with his wife, opted to leave New York, where he grew up, attended college at Oneonta State near Cooperstown and taught for eight, said moving to Maryland has proven to be one of his best decisions. “We wanted to go to a better place for education and better weather,” James told The Bay Net after the ceremony, which was held Thursday, April 9. For the tenth year in a row the event was held at The Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant.
In a statement read during ceremony and submitted by Weber, James was described as “a creative, engaging classroom instructor. While Mr. James has been at the forefront of many innovations at Huntingtown, his greatest contribution may be his role in advancing the use of technology in classroom instruction. He has done this through modeling and facilitating professional learning opportunities for his colleagues. Mr. James is a hard worker dedicated to providing his students with every possible opportunity to succeed.”
In addition to Teacher of the Year for 2015, CCPS’ Educational Support Person of the Year was also announced. Calvert High School (CHS) media assistant Sharon Kruder was selected from the field of 26 candidates.
In a statement submitted by CHS Principal Dr. Susan Johnson, Kruder was praised for her daily work in general and her organizational skills in particular. “You can find her at any moment of the day helping students find resources, having a conversation with students about their future plans or discussing the content the students are learning. Additionally, she helps our students and staff with the technology in the building, troubleshooting the myriad of issues that arise during the course of the day.”
Johnson also noted Kruder has been a member of the high school’s Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools’ Bullying Committee.
“I was esteemed to be selected for doing a job that I love,” said CCPS’ 2014 Education Support Staff Person of the Year Penny Martin, a guidance department secretary at Northern High School. “This is a true honor for the wonderful people working behind the lines.”
While Calvert is one of only a handful of Maryland jurisdictions to single out support staff for annual recognition, the entire state has participated in Teacher of the Year for a quarter of a century.
James will be involved in a myriad of activities—including serving on a council advising the state superintendent of schools—that will take him out of the classroom and away from his students during the 2015-2016 school year. He will also be eligible to earn the title of Maryland Teacher of the Year. Finalists for that honor will be selected this summer with the selection of the state teacher of the year to be announced during a black tie affair at Martin’s West in the fall.
The CCPS’ Teacher of the Year/Educational Support Staff Person of the Year Celebration is organized by the school system’s Department of Human Resources. The event is funded through the support of four levels of sponsors, including six businesses. In addition to the banquet, each of the 51 honorees receives a plaque and gift. Community sponsors and the Calvert Association of Supervisors and Administrators provided additional gifts.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
