Help us honor excellent educators

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” — United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa

“Upon the subject of education … I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as people may be engaged in.” — President Abraham Lincoln

Education.

It is tremendously important. The more we learn, the richer our lives become.

That’s why our second new special section being introduced this year will be dedicated to those who provide that most valuable resource, our teachers.

Here’s what we’re going to do:

From now through March 31, we will accept nominations for The Commercial Review’s “Teacher of the Year.” A panel will review the nominations and select a winner. That winner will then be featured in our new education-focused Teacher Appreciation special section that will run April 14. (We will also run the nomination letter. And we may run additional nomination letters, if the response is strong.)

That begs the question: Who is eligible?

In order to be eligible for our Teacher of the Year award, someone must fit one of the following criteria:

•Teach at a school in our coverage area

•Be a teacher who lives in our coverage area

•Be a teacher who used to live in our coverage area

Basically, if you teach here or are a teacher who lived here at any time, you’re eligible. Those criteria should open the door to a wide range of possibilities.

In order to nominate someone, send us a letter. It should include your name, the name of the teacher being nominated, their school, the grade(s) and subject(s) they teach and your reasons for nominating them. Letters should range between 300 and 700 words. Nominations can be sent to [email protected] or by mail to The Commercial Review, Teacher of the Year nomination, P.O. Box 1049, Portland, IN 47371.

We look forward to receiving your nominations and to highlighting the efforts of educators. — R.C.