Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will honor its employees and community partners during the annual Champions for Children celebration on Tuesday, April 21 at The Fillmore Silver Spring. The event will culminate in the naming of the 2015-2016 MCPS Teacher of the Year. The finalists are: 

-Joseph Gannon, Jr., a social studies teacher at Damascus High School
-Josephine Luster, a fifth grade teacher at Chevy Chase Elementary School
-Jill Raspen, a sixth grade English teacher at Ridgeview Middle School

The finalists were all recipients of the Master Teacher Award from the Marian Greenblatt Education Fund.

The Champions for Children Awards Celebration honors the exceptional work of educators and community partners who make a difference in the lives of children every day. The event is hosted by the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE) and is made possible through generous donations from corporate sponsors, including Kaiser Permanente, Lockheed Martin, Adventist HealthCare, Cigna, PwC, and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.

WHAT: Champions for Children Awards Celebration, including the announcement of the 2015-2016 MCPS Teacher of the Year

WHEN: Tuesday, April 21, from 5 to 9 p.m.

WHERE: The Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656 Colesville Road in Silver Spring

WHO: Among those scheduled to speak at the event are:

-Board of Education President Patricia O’Neill

-Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett

-MCPS Interim Superintendent of Schools Larry Bowers

-Student Member of the Board of Education Dahlia Huh

-Eun Yang, NBC4 news anchor, Master of Ceremonies

-Performances by MCPS students

In addition to the Teacher of the Year finalists, those being honored at the Champions for Children event include:

-Ginger Berry, Project Success teacher, Argyle Middle School, Greenblatt Rising Star Teacher of the Year

-Betty Collins, Director, Department of Instructional Leadership Support, Dr. Edward Shirley Award for Excellence in Educational Administration and Supervision

-Lisa Bligen, special education paraeducator, Argyle Middle School, Supporting Services Employee of the Year
-Emergent BioSolutions, Business Champion for Children

-Larry Edmonds, Northeast Consortium/Paint Branch cluster coordinator and PTSA president, Volunteer Champion for Children