Ocean City Teacher To Speak At Teacher As Hero Awards Ceremony

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City High School American Sign Language Teacher Amy Andersen will serve as the keynote speaker for the National Liberty Museum's 2018 "Teacher As Hero" award ceremony. The ceremony is set for Saturday, May 5 at the museum, located at 321 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia.

Teacher As Hero awards honor teachers for their extraordinary efforts that impact the lives of their students, schools, and communities. Andersen won a Teacher As Hero award last year. This year, she was one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year award. Andersen was named the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year in October. She was previously named the Cape May County Teacher of the Year.

A total of 11 teachers from the region won awards this year, including:

• Tony Rocco, Stetson Charter School
• Derek Stevenson, Roxborough High School
• Kevin Finan, Concord Elementary School
• Douglas Sexton, Bellmawr Park School
• Derek Stevenson, Roxborough High School
• Robert Graham, Keene Elementary School
• Marc Cutillo, William Tennent High School
• Dayna Kowalski, Greenwood Elementary School
• Christina Salazar, Bayard Rustin High School
• Theresa Hartey, Saint Basil Academy
• Thomas Reed, Lower Merion High School
• Laurie Thomas, Harriton High School

Winners are nominated by students, parents, peers, and community members to recognize them as educators who serve as role models in their respective communities.

The winners' stories will become part of a dedicated Museum exhibit in the National Liberty Museum's "Live Like a Hero" Gallery for about a year. The award is sponsored by State Farm.

"At the National Liberty Museum, we teach every visitor the vital role liberty plays in the fabric of our daily lives," Gwen Borowsky, CEO of the Museum, said. "We proudly honor these teachers for the work they do to inspire students and strengthen their communities beyond their important work in the classroom. We recognize these teachers as heroes for helping shape our nation's next generation of leaders."

"State Farm has sponsored the Teacher as Hero awards since its inception and we have stood as a National Liberty Museum partner for the past 15 years," Dwayne Redd of State Farm said. "State Farm's mission is to help people achieve their dreams and we believe that teachers are our steadfast partner in this goal. Teachers shape the values of a community through their lessons, inside and outside of the classroom. We are humbled by every one of this year's distinguished award winners."

Story by Max Bennett, Patch Staff; Patch Staff Writer Anthony Bellano contributed to this report.

The attached image of Amy Andersen was provided