Awards -- 2007

STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARD

The Flame student of the year is Nathaniel Brown from Hampden Academy. His French teacher, Marisue Schuiling, nominated him and included several letters of support. His Latin teacher, Benjamin Johnson referred to him as “the highest scoring and most consistent student I have ever had”.  Nathaniel has a 97.98 grade point average with a course load that includes AP French and AP Latin. He is in his second year of independent study of Ancient Greek and he is also taking Russian at the University of Maine. Nathaniel is President of both the Maine State Junior Classical League and the Hampden Academy Junior Classical League and still finds time to be President of the Hampden Academy National Honor Society as well.  He has received awards on the National Latin Exam, in Greek and a Phi Beta Kappa Association Maine Certificate of recognition.   Nathaniel has taught Hebrew and is presently involved in a mentoring program. It is no surprise that Marisue Shuilling should call Nathaniel the most gifted language student she has ever had the pleasure to teach. Nathaniel has other interests as well. He was captain of his school soccer team and a PVC award-winning runner. He is also active in drama--in fact, he played the lead in Macbeth!

FLAME AWARD for EXCELLENCE in TEACHING CLASSICAL & MODERN LANGUAGES

            The FLAME Teacher of the Year, Tanya Kingsbury of Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield is called “compassionate, funny, and dedicated” by her students. One wrote :“She cared about me and made going to school everyday worthwhile.” Ms Kingsbury works tirelessly with the student council single-handedly managing the group and running their many activities. She has even dressed up as a rapper for an assembly! Her Dean of Academics describes her as a “master teacher whose zeal for Spanish and for languages is infectious”.  Her colleagues say “she is the first to arrive and among the last to leave” school.  She is a crusader on the issue of assessment and has revamped her department’s assessment system.  She serves on many committees and inspires other teachers to be more involved in their profession as foreign language teachers. Ms Kingsbury has taught Spanish at MCI in Pittsfield for twenty-seven years.  She is presently Department Chair and is a recipient of the Faculty Chair Award, the highest honor a teacher may receive at MCI. In addition, last year she was selected to receive the Douglass & Cummings Endowed Fellowship for Advanced Studies. It is evident that the FLAME Teacher of the Year has impacted hundreds of students and is a true role model and leader.                                                                    

 *by Teresa Farrar, FLAME President