Harford County Public Schools announced 54 nominees for Teacher of the Year on Monday.

Each nominee will be given the choice to move forward in the selection process, which will result in five five finalists and ultimately the winner of Teacher of the Year. The award recognizes an educator from the school system who will go on to represent Harford County Schools in the state’s Teacher of the Year competition.

The nomination process starts in January, when each school in the district chooses one teacher to represent their school for the annual award. Teachers who decide to compete for the award must submit an application that aligns with the state’s Teacher of the Year application process.

Applications include a biography and responses to a list of questions, along with an interview by the deciding committee. After they apply, teachers are reviewed, scored and ranked. Then the top five applicants are announced and go through an additional interview process.

Last year’s winner was Shelby Hultquist, a special education teacher at Havre de Grace Elementary.

This year’s winner will be announced at the HCPS Celebration of Excellence in Education celebration on April 16 at Edgewood High School.

The nominees for this year are:

Amanda Breed, physical education teacher (Aberdeen Middle); Joseph Landgraf, social sciences teacher (Aberdeen High); Alice Ann Jolly-Smith, special education teacher (Abingdon Elementary); Hailey Snyder, kindergarten teacher (Bakerfield Elementary); Shannon O’ Connor, fifth grade teacher (Bel Air Elementary); Laura Cassilly, science teacher (Bel Air Middle); Christin Orth, English teacher (Bel Air High); Michael Rex, science teacher (C. Milton Wright High); Kristen Nance, physical education teacher (Church Creek Elementary); Melinda Michocki, first grade teacher (Churchville Elementary); Kelli Parker, special education teacher (Darlington Elementary); Rebecca Hicks, media specialist (Deerfield Elementary); Tammy Bishop, kindergarten teacher (Dublin Elementary); Rebecca Stone, special education teacher (Edgewood Elementary); Matthew Hurd, special education teacher (Edgewood Middle); Kenneth Brinkman, special education teacher (Edgewood High); Patricia Gasivwa, fifth grade teacher (Emmorton Elementary); Alexandria Davis, social sciences teacher (Fallston Middle); Megan Grant, physical education teacher (Fallston High); Donna Bowling, special education teacher (Forest Hill Elementary); Dana Vaughan, pre-k teacher (Forest Lakes Elementary); Dawn Rose, reading specialist (Fountain Green Elementary); Emily Eissenstat, special education teacher (George D. Lisby Elementary); Rebecca Burlin, first grade teacher (Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary); Mary Gargano, special education teacher (Harford Academy); Brad Martin, trades and industry teacher (Harford Tech High); Kelly Shepherd, media specialist (Havre de Grace Elementary); Tina Joy Mackey, English teacher (Havre de Grace Middle); David Jones, physical education teacher (Havre de Grace High); Nathan Armstrong, fifth grade teacher (Hickory Elementary); William VanEmburg, special education teacher (Homestead/Wakefield Elementary); Rebekah Hansen, kindergarten teacher (Jarrettsville Elementary); Heather Johnson, kindergarten (Joppatowne Elementary); Cecilia Ledbetter, foreign language teacher (Joppatowne High); Kimberly Wheeler, media specialist (Magnolia Elementary); Morgan Matsinye, physical education teacher (Magnolia Middle); Jennifer McRoberts, first grade teacher (Meadowvale Elementary); Susan Birchfield, special education teacher (Norrisville Elementary); Sarah Palmere, fifth grade teacher (North Bend Elementary); Amanda Monath, special education teacher (North Harford Elementary); Erin Pracko, English teacher (North Harford Middle); Michael James, English teacher (North Harford High); Rachel Livezey, kindergarten teacher (Old Post Road Elementary); Natalia Seets, English teacher (Patterson Mill Middle); Caitlyn Shaffstall, drama/theater teacher (Patterson Mill High); April Llyod, reading specialist (Prospect Mill Elementary); Erika Bush, fifth grade (Red Pump Elementary); Meredith Miller, second grade teacher (Ring Factory Elementary); Peter Rost, first grade teacher, Heather Morris, teacher specialist-literacy (Roye-Williams Elementary); Jodi Guicheteau, math teacher (Southampton Middle); Craig Kardian, special education (Swan Creek); Jennifer Kuhn, media specialist (William S. James Elementary); and Frank Kujawa, fifth grade teacher (Youth’s Benefit Elementary).

Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.