NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that Sarah Morris from Hazelbrook Middle School in Tualatin, OR, has been named the national winner and “Teacher of the Year” in the “Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest.” Ms. Morris was nominated by her former student, Ayslinn Buchholz, and was chosen from more than 9,100 entries at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide.
Students were invited to nominate their favorite 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 accepted at Barnes & Noble stores and 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.
“Each year, the Barnes & Noble ‘My Favorite Teacher Contest’ celebrates thousands of teachers and recognizes their ability to inspire students and influence lives in their communities,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Vice President of Business Development for Barnes & Noble. “We’re pleased to present our highest honor – The Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year award – to Social Studies/History teacher Sarah Morris, who truly embodies these qualities as described in the touching essay crafted by Ayslinn Buchholz, who is now in 8th grade.”
In Ayslinn’s essay, she wrote, “Ms. Sarah Morris, some may call her a teacher, an educator, or even an instructor, but to the students who have spent time in her class she is much, much more. To her students at Hazelbrook Middle School, she is a time-travel machine and we are her time travelers… Ms. Morris brought in historical objects to bring each era to life. She dressed as a monk on a day dedicated to learning about Martin Luther and medieval monks. She also spent the day turning us into monks; not allowing us to speak and giving us one pretzel to represent the little food they received. While we were learning about World War II, she put up genuine-era posters to bring the feeling of patriotism into the classroom. I remember more from her class than the dates and names other teachers have tried to hammer into my head… By the end of the year, we all loved the subject just as much as she did. Ms. Morris deserves this award because she has done something that no other teacher has; she has brought the past to us by sending us into the past. Ms. Morris is a time traveler, a role model, and a friend.”
Along with the title of “Teacher of the Year,” Ms. Morris will receive $5,000 and will be recognized at a special community celebration at her local Barnes & Noble store in Bridgeport, OR. Ms. Morris’s school will also receive $5,000.
The Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher program provides middle and high students with the opportunity to tell their communities how much they appreciate their teachers. Teachers from Grades 1-12 are eligible for nomination. Awards for local and regional winners included prizes for the teachers, NOOKs® and more.
The My Favorite Teacher Contest runs from September to March. Details on the contest rules can be found at www.bn.com/myfavoriteteacher.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) is a Fortune 500 company and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The company operates 663 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). Its NOOK Media LLC subsidiary is a leader in the emerging digital reading and digital education markets. The NOOK digital business offers award-winning NOOK® products and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store® (www.nook.com), while Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC operates 696 bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
