Five Frederick County Public Schools teachers are advancing as finalists for the 2022-2023 FCPS Teacher of the Year Award, the county’s most prestigious award for teachers.
The finalists are:
Mary Geasey, Middletown Primary
Jamie Hendi, Linganore High
Jonathan Kurtz, Gov. Thomas Johnson High
Cindy Newmeyer, Tuscarora Elementary
Jennifer Tony, Hillcrest Elementary
Mary Geasey teaches second grade at Middletown Primary, where she is currently the ELA (English Language) Committee Chair of her school’s School Improvement Team. Geasey also serves as a member of the Frederick County Teachers Association Leadership Development committee and is a member of the Teacher Advisory Council. In 2019, Geasey was accepted into the Vanguard Teacher Program, which allows educators to teach, lead and coach others to create blended learning environments in classrooms.
Jamie Hendi is a former lawyer and private investigator who has been teaching social studies at Linganore High for nearly 10 years. She is a Vanguard Teacher Program leadership coach, leader of the LHS professional learning team, member of the School Culture Committee and Student Voices, co-coach of the Mock Trial Team and advisor for the Law and Criminal Justice Club. Hendi is passionate about civic engagement of her students.
As Coordinator of the Academy for the Fine Arts at Gov. Thomas Johnson High, Jonathan Kurtz is passionate about music. He has taught music in grades K-12 for the last 19 years, including concert band, jazz band, orchestra, music theory, music technology and music history. He regularly participates in curriculum writing and department-chair meetings and served on the school’s Hybrid Reopening Committee.
Cindy Newmeyer, of Tuscarora Elementary School, has taught elementary Special Education; Learning for Life – a specialized program for students with intellectual disabilities for eight years. She has provided professional learning experiences for teachers on co-teaching and special education. Newmeyer has served as a team leader, School Improvement Team member and curriculum writer.
Hillcrest Elementary’s Jennifer Tony has been serving in the classroom for more than 20 years. She has taught kindergarten through fifth grade in both Frederick and Baltimore. Her professional development in education has spanned varied curriculum areas. Tony was nominated for Teacher of the Year in Baltimore City and Baltimore Ravens Touchdown Teacher, which recognizes local educators for outstanding service to their schools and communities.
FCPS will announce the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year award later this spring. The 2022-23 Teacher of the Year will represent Frederick County in the Maryland Teacher of the Year program. The current FCPS Teacher of the Year is West Frederick Middle’s Jennifer Perez Ryan.
A list of 2022 nominees and their photos are online at www.fcps.org/toy.