ABCTE Names South Carolina’s Jeremiah Young as Inaugural Teacher of the Year

Washington, DC (August 20, 2010) —

National Teacher of the Year Award to Be Presented August 27 in Washington D.C. Ceremony with U.S. Department of Education Deputy Assistant Secretary Dr. Carl Harris

The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) has named Jeremiah Young, a science teacher from Beaufort High School in South Carolina, as the recipient of its inaugural National Teacher of the Year Award.

Young will be presented with the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Friday, August 27 with Dr. Carl Harris, Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, as well as members of the ABCTE staff and board of directors.

“Being chosen as the recipient of ABCTE’s National Teacher of the Year is an honor,” said Young. “There are many great teachers in this profession that deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments inside and outside the classroom. To be chosen as the national recipient is humbling. I am still young in the profession, so receiving this honor will only encourage me to work harder to fulfill the expectations that I feel this position holds, for the remainder of my teaching career.”

Principal nominations, a public vote and interviews with each finalist were used to determine the award recipient, with parents, students, colleagues and other members of the community casting over 9,500 votes during the public voting portion.

“The entire selection process for ABCTE’s Teacher of the Year has made me aware of the number of people that believe in me as an educator,” explained Young. “I am encouraged by the initial nomination by my principal—that he thought well enough of my teaching practices to offer my name as a candidate for this prestigious award. I am also greatly moved by the outpouring of support from my family, friends, and community, through the online voting process. The votes that I have cherished the most are from my former students and the parents of students I have taught. They are the ones who have firsthand experience with me as a teacher.”

ABCTE also recognized the six other national finalists who were named the ABCTE Teacher of the Year for their state, with Joe Pistone of Missouri being named runner up for the national award.

Danny D. Davis, Florida
Parkside Elementary School

Julie Fast, Idaho
Emmett Junior High School

Joe Tuccio, Mississippi
Florence Middle School

Joe Pistone, Missouri
Ruskin High School
National Runner Up

Lynn Parris, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School

Celeste Simmons, Utah
Hillsdale Elementary

“We are beyond thrilled with the response we have received for our first Teacher of the Year award and with the caliber of the candidates. All of us at ABCTE are honored and inspired knowing that these teachers are out there making a difference,” said ABCTE CFO & Acting CEO Giovanni Cozzarelli.

ABCTE offers a teaching certification program that is accepted for public schools in ten states: Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. To-date, the organization has certified nearly 2,500 individuals.

ABCTE
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) is a non-profit organization offering an innovative teacher preparation and certification program for highly knowledgeable individuals who want to become teachers. For more information, please visit http://www.abcte.org.