Christine Hurley, a library media specialist at Boonsboro Middle School, has been named one of seven finalists for the Maryland Teacher of the Year. 

Hurley is in her 16th year in Washington County Public Schools. This is her third nomination for Teacher of the Year. Christine has previously been honored as an Outstanding Educator Using Technology, she is a National Board Certified teacher, and she was nominated for the first-ever Maryland State Librarian of the Year in 2016. She has connections outside of school that include running a Little Free Library out of her home for neighborhood families, involvement in Scouts, volunteering at the Children’s Literature Centre at Frostburg University and pioneering the first Girls Who Code group in WCPS at Springfield Middle.

A panel of judges from key educational organizations that represent principals, teachers, school boards, parents, and institutions of higher education selected from teachers representing each of Maryland’s 24 local school systems. The seven finalists were chosen based on a rigorous set of state and national criteria including: teaching philosophy and results, community involvement, knowledge of general education issues, and desire for professional and instructional improvement.

The 2020-2021 Maryland Teacher of the Year will be announced on Maryland Public Television on October 8, 2020 in a 30-minute special program airing at 8 p.m. on MPT2 and in a livestream on MPT’s Youtube.com channel MarylandPublicTV. The winner will receive cash awards, technology equipment, national travel opportunities, and a new car valued at more than $25,000, donated by the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association.