Catoctin High School’s Mike Franklin is one of seven finalists for the 2019-2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year, announced by Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS). This most recent accomplishment is one of many honors that Franklin has earned throughout his career. These honors include: 2014 Maryland Outstanding PE Teacher, 2016 Hood College Charles E. Tressler Distinguished Teacher Award, and 2017 Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coach of the Year.
Franklin, who is a physical education teacher and baseball coach at Catoctin High School, was named Frederick County’s Teacher of the Year at the end of April. He has served as a champion and advocate for students throughout his 23 years teaching with FCPS.
Bernie Quesada, former Catoctin High School principal and now Middletown High School principal, echoes this sentiment, “Mike Franklin’s most endearing quality, and one that I personally admire, is that he has the uncanny ability to make any educational situation, no matter how difficult, much better with his positive and unwavering faith in children. That is a rare, innate quality that should be celebrated and emulated in teaching.”
Jennifer Clements, current principal at Catoctin High School, expressed her excitement surrounding Franklin’s accomplishment and stated, “Mike Franklin has been an asset to Catoctin High School for over 20 years, during which time he has taught, inspired, mentored, and supported thousands of students and colleagues. He is an excellent teacher and coach, but, most importantly, he is an amazing person who works each day to bring a smile to those around him and to ‘catch them being good.’ We are proud of Mike’s well-deserved recognition as FCPS Teacher of the Year and finalist for Maryland’s Teacher of the Year.”
Franklin recognizes the value of providing students with positive reinforcement: “I believe in celebrating successes daily. I’ve seen the power of a compliment or a simple positive phone call home to let the parents know their child is awesome.”
Finalists are selected by a panel of judges from a number of key Maryland education organizations, representing principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, parents, and higher education. The selection process is based on a rigorous set of state and national criteria that include knowledge of teacher pedagogy, community engagement, and expertise in general education topics and issues. The finalists were selected from a group of 24 local teachers of the year that represent the 24 Maryland school systems.
The 2019-2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year will be announced at the October 25, 2019, gala reception and dinner at Martin’s West in Baltimore.
Catoctin High School (CHS) and Frederick County Public Schools celebrate CHS’s own Mike Franklin, selected as a finalist for the 2019-2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year award.
