WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Susan Collins is shown here with Melissa J. Noack of Yarmouth High School (left) and Alex Briasco-Brin of Freeport Middle School (right) during the annual Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference in Washington.
Ms. Noack and Mr. Briasco-Brin are Maine’s 2005 recipients of the Foundation’s National Educator Awards, which are conferred each year upon elementary and secondary education professionals who advance and promote excellence in education. By honoring outstanding educators, the program strives to attract, develop, motivate and retain talented people to the challenge and adventure of teaching. The award includes a cash prize of $25,000 for each teacher.
Ms. Noack is a teacher of art at Yarmouth High School, where she stresses real-world applications of art, fosters precise and objective methods of artistic assessment, forges partnerships between students and the community, and encourages interested pupils to pursue careers and higher education in art-related fields.
Mr. Briasco-Brin is a math teacher at Freeport Middle School, where he uses innovative teaching methods to keep students interested and involved and to make math meaningful to daily life, provides differentiated instruction to ensure all students learn concepts, and organizes math competitions and awards.