South River High School teacher Josh Carroll has been named a finalist for the 2017-18 Maryland Teacher of the Year by the Maryland State Department of Education.
Carroll, who teaches STEM classes at the Edgewater school, is one of seven finalists for the award. The others are: Justin Holbrook of Baltimore City, Thomas McHugh of Carroll County, Heather Roth of Garrett County, Amy E. Mangold of Harford County, Maddy Halbach of Howard County, and Katie Fox of Talbot County.
“I am shocked but enormously grateful for this opportunity,” Carroll said. “It’s an incredible honor and I’m excited to continue to be able to represent our awesome school system. I’ve already had the chance to meet the winners from each jurisdiction, and it is a privileged to be associated with such an impressive group of people.”
Superintendent George Arlotto surprised Carroll with the news at the school last week.
Carroll is the third consecutive county teacher to be named a state finalist. AACPS has had five state finalists in the last seven years. Two AACPS teachers – Linda Adamson of Mayo and Jessup elementary schools in 1993-94 and Patricia Neidhart of Broadneck High School in 1988-89 – have earned state Teacher of the Year honors.
Carroll has spent 18 years in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, all at the high school level. He began his career as an English teacher at Glen Burnie High School and moved to South River in 2006. He coordinated the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program for six years before moving to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program. His desire to impact as many students as possible also led him into athletic coaching and mentorship. He has also become involved in curriculum writing, is a member of South River’s Prncipal’s Leadership Team, and chairs the school’s Student Recognition Committee.
State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon will announce Maryland’s Teacher of the Year at a banquet on October 27.
