Maine County and State Teachers of the Year Association

06/15/2026

I know many look forward to a relaxing summer. However by mid-August, minds turn back to the next school year. MCSTOYA sponsors an amazing Professional Development Opportunity on August 12th at Colby College. Please consider coming-book giveaways, great sessions, contact hours that actually can add up the more you read beforehand, lunch, networking, etc. All in an air-conditioned environment.

Come learn about how to plan for your neorodivergent students and all students.

06/09/2026

Teachers know that some of their most valued support comes from other teachers! It’s especially important in the evolving universe of STEM teaching. This spring Tonya Prentice, the 2020 Oxford County Teacher of the Year, and Laurie Spooner, 2025 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year, shared their strategies for supporting STEM educators at the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conference in Anaheim, Calif. To Tonya and Laurie it’s all about collaborative peer leadership and professional community building. In the end, our students benefit. To learn more: https://www.educatemaine.org/news/post/teach-maine-tuesday-in-evolving-stem-education-collaboration-is-key

06/08/2026

Earn up to 19+ contact hours this summer
while exploring neurodiversity through books and conversation.

MCSTOYA Connects: Neurodivergent Reads 2026 offers one of the most flexible professional learning opportunities you'll find.

Participants earn:
• 5 contact hours for attending our August 12 gathering at Colby College
• Additional contact hours for summer reading completed before the event

Read a single picture book and attend the event to earn approximately 5.5 total contact hours.

Read a young adult novel and attend the event to earn approximately 19 total contact hours.

Read multiple books before the event and earn even more.

Along the way, you'll explore neurodiversity through powerful books, engage with fellow educators, learn from expert speakers, and leave with a free classroom book and practical resources for your students.

Featured speakers include Stephanie Vansoest and Kim Leo.

Educators, librarians, counselors, specialists, administrators, and preservice teachers are all welcome.

Register today:

06/04/2026

Here is another session we will be hosting at the Every Teacher a Leader conference on July 30th and 31st at Thomas College:
Global Issues in Humanities: Curriculum for Sustainable Change
This session offers a model for interdisciplinary, project-based instruction, engaging students with local and global issues. Participants will explore mentor texts, build knowledge, interrogate bias and credibility, and amplify student voices. The session includes sample units aligned with Muhammad’s HILL model, providing space to adapt ideas for participants’ own classrooms.

Presenter:
Stephanie Hendrix: Humanities Academy Coordinator, Bangor High School. Stephanie is a Bangor-based educator and equity advocate with 24 years of experience teaching in public schools and 10 years in higher education.
Registration link for the conference:

Check out the schedule for Every Teacher A Leader Summit 2026

06/03/2026

MCSTOYA, in partnership with MCELA, is pleased to announce the winners of our third writing contest for Maine students in grades PK-12. This year's prompt was: Words can help, hurt, inspire, or change things. Write about a time when words made a difference—to you or to others—or explain how words have the power to shape our lives.

The contest had a total of 139 submissions across the four grade span categories. Winners will receive an Amazon gift card in the following amounts: 1st place—$125, 2nd place—$75, and 3rd place—$50. Up to three Honorable Mentions were named in each grade span; these students received certificates of recognition.

MCSTOYA and MCELA are honored to provide an opportunity for students to lift their voices. The judges all enjoyed reading the students' submissions and look forward to next year's contest.

Thank you to Patti Forser and Heather Webster for their hard work on this project!!!

06/01/2026

Wow, the sessions this year at Every Teacher a Leader are amazing and varied. Consider registering at: https://etalmaine2026.sched.com/registration

Twelve contact hours; great sessions, networking, a celebratory dinner; being uplifted. Don't wait!!!

Sample session:

05/26/2026

Don't forget to sign up for this one-day PD session at Colby College. Great sessions, book giveaways, lunch, contact hours, all in beautiful air-conditioned spaces at Colby College. And a very important topic!!!

05/22/2026

SOUTHERN MAINE MCSTOYA MEMBERS!!!

Our MCSTOYA Meet-Up opportunity is fast approaching! Come see 9 to 5 at Lyric Theater on JUNE 4th at 7:30PM!

RSVP to Joshua Chard by using the Google Form below!!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQYkDH2NSzjKSZgQvI21gRCpigRieQzkhQRPNFrXeIqlsgyw/viewform?pli=1

05/19/2026

Please consider this outstanding PD in August. You will enjoy outstanding presentations, networking with colleagues, two free books for your classroom and a wonderful Colby lunch! MCSTOYA members put MCSTOYA in as a code for a discount. Share with your colleagues.

Registration link: https://maine.wildapricot.org/event-6693568