St. Thomas-St. John District Announces 2017 Teacher Of The Year Finalists

ST. THOMAS — The Virgin Islands Department of Education, Office of the Insular Superintendent, St. Thomas-St. John District, announced on Wednesday five finalists under consideration for the prestigious 2017 District Teacher of the Year award.

The winner will be revealed at an awards banquet on Sunday, October 16 at 12:30 p.m. at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort Ballroom. This year’s theme is Teachers are a Work of Heart.

St. Thomas-St. John 2017 District Teacher of the Year finalists are:

• Francine Emanuel – E. Benjamin Oliver Elementary School, 1^st Grade
• Elaine Jacobs – Charlotte Amalie High School, AP English Language and Composition, 11^th Grade
• Kendra Vicars – Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, AP English Language and Composition, 11^th Grade; Speech, 10^th and 11^th Grades
• Arleen Ryan-Smith – Joseph Sibilly Elementary School, Reading Interventionist Specialist
• Leniece Mercer – Ulla F. Muller Elementary School, Reading Interventionist Specialist

The public is invited to attend the awards banquet. Tickets are $50 and may be purchased at the Curriculum Center, the represented schools or directly from nominees.

Nominations for the District Teacher of the Year award are made by school principals or a school committee. Nominees are observed in their classrooms and are also required to submit an application packet, complete with a professional biography, community involvement, teaching philosophy, impressions on current events and the teaching profession, as well as an acceptance message, should they be selected as District Teacher of the Year.

A selection panel, comprised of retired teachers, district coordinators and community members review the applications and conduct classroom observations. The winner goes on to compete against the District Teacher of the Year from the St. Croix District, at which time one will be named State Teacher of the Year.

For more information, please contact the St. Thomas-St. John Office of the Insular Superintendent at (340) 775-2250.

Correction: October 6, 2016

The Department of Education issued the following correction to their press release: The press release we issued incorrectly identified Arleen Ryan-Smith as Arleen Ryan Benjamin. The story has been updated to reflect the correct information.