Barnes and Noble, Inc., the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that three teachers will be recognized as local winners in the “Barnes and Noble My Favorite Teacher” Contest. Miss Puglisi from Fountain Woods School in Burlington Township School District won in the grades 1 to 5 category. Marissa Paglione from William Allen Middle School in the Moorestown School District won in the grades 6 to 8 category. Mark Hoban from Cedar Creek High School in the Egg Harbor City School District won in the grades 9 to 12 category. These teachers were chosen from 200 entries at the Barnes and Noble on 1311 Nixon Drive, Moorestown, New Jersey. Puglisi, Paglione and Hoban were nominated by one of their current students.
Students were invited to nominate their teacher by writing essays, poems or thank you letters that share how their teacher has influenced their life and why they appreciate and admire their teacher. Entries were judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation and the quality of expression and writing.
Puglisi, Paglione and Hoban, will be recognized at an event at the Moorestown Barnes and Noble where they will receive a special award acknowledging their achievement, a set of Sterling Children’s Classics books for their personal or classroom library, and additional recognition and praise from the community. Corey Golden, Nicole Tsarouhas, and Taylor Troehler, who wrote the winning essays or poems, will each receive a certificate of recognition and will be honored at the Moorestown store during a ceremony for the winning teacher.
Puglisi, Paglione and Hoban, will each be entered into the regional competition. Each regional winner will receive a NOOK Color eReader and a $500 Barnes and Noble Gift Card. From the pool of regional winners, Barnes and Noble will name one teacher the “Barnes and Noble National Teacher of the Year.”
The winning teacher will receive $5,000 and the title of “My Favorite Teacher.” The winner will be recognized at a special community celebration at their local Barnes and Noble store. The winning teacher’s school will receive $5,000 as well. The winner will also receive five copies of the winning essay published in hardcover by Tikatok.com, the site where students create and publish their own books, and a $250 Tikatok Gift Card that will allow the teacher to publish select stories written by students in their class.
The Barnes and Noble My Favorite Teacher program provides students with the opportunity to tell their communities how much they appreciate their teachers. Teachers from grades 1 through 12 were eligible for nomination. Awards include cash prizes for the teachers and schools, NOOK eReaders and more.
Only students enrolled in grades 1 to 12 and active teachers employed in elementary, middle or high schools in the United States are eligible to win. More details on the contest rules can be found at www.bn.com/myfavoriteteacher.
