Barnes & Noble Launches Annual “My Favorite Teacher” Contest
Middle & High School Students Nominate Their Teachers Winners to Be Awarded $5,000 Cash Prizes and More
Barnes & Noble, Inc., the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, announces the 2013-2014 “Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest,” which provides middle and high school students the opportunity to tell their communities how much they appreciate their teachers.
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Students can 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. Participating schools can collect the essays and submit them to their local Barnes & Noble store for consideration, or students can submit their entries individually. Entries will be judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation and the quality of expression and writing.
Teachers from grades 1 through 12 are eligible for nomination. Awards include cash prizes for the teachers and schools, NOOK® tablets and more. The contest is broken down into local and regional winners, from which the Barnes & Noble Teacher of the Year will be chosen.
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The local winning teacher will be recognized in the spring at an event at their local Barnes & Noble, where they will receive a special award acknowledging their achievement and additional recognition and praise from their community. The student who wrote the winning essay or poem will receive a certificate of recognition and also be honored at the ceremony.
The winning teacher from each store will be entered into the regional contest. Each regional winner will receive a $500 Barnes & Noble gift card. From the pool of regional winners, Barnes & Noble will name one teacher the Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year. The winning teacher will receive $5,000 and the title of “Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher of the Year.” The winner will be recognized at a special community celebration at their local Barnes & Noble store, and the winning teacher’s school will receive $5,000.
“It was a very humbling experience,” said Gina Wilson, the 2013 national winner. “I didn't realize how much my former student, Santia René, had been impacted in 5th grade until it was brought to light through her amazing essay. I was ecstatic to receive the accolades and thrilled that my school did, too! I will never forget May 9 – what an honor to have the mayor name it Gina Wilson Day. Thank you Barnes & Noble for supporting teachers and the educational system. This contest allowed students the opportunity to express their feelings and show how talented they are.”
Barnes & Noble has long supported teachers through Educator Appreciation Weeks, special discounts, personalized service, in-store events, store tours for classrooms, and, since 2011, the My Favorite Teacher Contest. “Barnes & Noble takes pride in supporting educators through our Bookfairs and the B&N Educator Program,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Director of Business Development for Barnes & Noble. “Teachers in communities throughout the nation work hard and deserve recognition. It is heartwarming to see a gesture as pure as a child writing kind words about their teacher and reading it aloud to them at a My Favorite Teacher celebration. There’s rarely a dry eye in the audience.”
“The My Favorite Teacher Contest is another way for Barnes & Noble and the community to recognize how important teachers can be in their students’ lives. A bookstore is much like a school – both are places of learning and aspiration,” DiFrancesco added.
The Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest begins September 9, 2013, and ends March 1, 2014. Students who want to participate should submit their essay or poem to their local Barnes & Noble by March 1. Only middle and high school students 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. To submit entries to Barnes & Noble Corte Madera, please contact their Community Relations Manager, Laurel Kidd, at crm2274@bn.com or (415) 927-9016.
