SAD 63 teacher wins top federal education honor

HOLDEN – Trisha Smith received a standing ovation on Monday as pupils, teachers and staff cheered for the eighth-grade language arts teacher awarded the No Child Left Behind 2005 American Star of Teaching.

One teacher from every state and the District of Columbia will be recognized this fall as American Stars.

Smith, who originally thought Monday’s special assembly to honor her achievement was a SAD 63 emergency readiness drill, was surprised to find out she was the state’s selection for the American Star.

“I really don’t know what to say,” she said. “I guess thank you is appropriate. I’m honored and embarrassed because there are so many deserving teachers out there.”

Smith was given one clue to the award when her mother and grandmother, Peggy Smith and Thelma Smith of Lincoln, and her aunt, Janice Mathews of New York, were led across the Holbrook Middle School gym floor to their seats just before the assembly started.

“A red flag went up,” Smith said. “That’s when I knew something was up.”

The award is given to teachers who have successfully implemented the No Child Left Behind initiative.

Smith’s dedication to her pupils and her teaching them skills to better their communities through service learning are major reasons why she was chosen, Michael Sentence, U.S. Department of Education regional representative for the U.S. secretary of education, said during the presentation. Sentence drove up from Boston to award Smith the American Star, the first for New England.

“Teachers aren’t receiving enough recognition for all the work they do,” he said. “You have a teacher here that we’d like to recognize … for her commitment to all children learning at high levels.”

Smith, a 1996 University of Maine graduate, has years of experience with service learning and KIDS Consortium, a Lewiston-based group that promotes learning through community involvement, Marvin Rosenblum, consortium president, said after the assembly.

“She’s one of our prodigies,” he said. “Until someone like Trisha [came along], KIDS Consortium was just words – just a great idea. Trisha made KIDS Consortium a great reality.”

As a new teacher at Airline Community School in 1996, Smith was instrumental in starting an outdoor wilderness classroom for all students in the region that is still used.

At SAD 63, where she started six years ago as a fifth-grade teacher, Smith is the service-learning coordinator and for the last three years has been instrumental in injury-prevention projects with pupils related to seat belt and helmet use and operating ATVs and snowmobiles.

Smith’s pupils have presented their work to former Gov. Angus King, the SAD 63 school board, to other students and the public, and they have testified in front of the Legislature in Augusta.

Several of Smith’s eighth-graders spoke in February in support of LD 80, an act to make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense in Maine.

“Trisha Smith represents those professionals who see teaching as a calling, not a job,” U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was quoted as stating in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Education selected the 51 American Stars from among 2,000 nominations based on their success in improving academic performance for all their students. The recognition effort started in 2004.

U.S. Reps. Tom Allen and Michael Michaud nominated Smith.

“I think it’s wonderful Trisha Smith has been recognized for her outstanding performance in the classroom,” Superintendent Louise Regan said, adding later: “She’s an outstanding teacher.”