Department of Education Recognizes Teacher of the Year Partners
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Department of Education Recognizes Teacher of the Year Partners
- Successful three-day event honoring teachers made possible by generous donations -Tallahassee, Fla., July 13, 2012 - The 2013 Florida Department of Education/Macy's Teacher of the Year (TOY) gala concluded last night with Alexandre Lopes, a Pre-K Special Education teacher from Miami-Dade County taking home the top honor. That announcement was one of many highlights that took place over a three-day period designed to recognize all district winners. Thanks to the charitable donations by a host of partners, teachers from around the state were also able to take part in various activities as part of a roundtable event, which included opportunities for networking, sharing best practices and exchanging ideas on current issues with colleagues and education leaders.
"The Teacher of the Year celebration is not just about announcing Florida's newest Teacher of the Year, it's about recognizing all of our teachers for the great work they do each and every day," said Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson. "Because of the tremendous contributions that were made this year by our partners, we were able to make this event special for every attendee and I can't thank them enough for being such ardent supporters of education."
In addition to Macy's, the co-sponsor of the Teacher of the Year Program and host of the Gala, the Department would like to recognize the following major partners of the Teacher of the Year Roundtable. These organizations were represented by top leaders who expressed their appreciation and commitment to academic excellence in Florida with generous donations that resulted in activities and gifts such as a welcome fair, reception, celebration luncheon, Universal tickets and technology products.
The sponsors for the 2013 Florida Department of Education/Macy's
Bank of America Florida Lottery
Helios Education Foundation
Herff Jones
Office Depot
SMART Technologies
Universal Orlando
Teacher of the Year program are listed below. The Teacher of the Year roundtable is also supported by the Florida Education Foundation.
"The teachers of Florida are grateful to have such a valuable relationship with our business and community partners. We are thankful that those partners place such a high value on education," said 2013 Teacher of the Year Alexandre Lopes. "When teachers, parents, and members of the business community work together, the true beneficiaries are our students. To all of the corporate sponsors of our 2013 Teacher of the Year Roundtable, thank you for making Florida's teachers feel so special and appreciated."
For more information about the Florida Department of Education/Macy's Teacher of the Year, visit http://www.fldoe.org/profdev/yeartch.asp.