The Dubuque Community School District Teacher of the Year was named at the annual Educators’ Recognition Dinner on May 5, hosted by the school district and the Dubuque Education Association.

Amy Haverland, a science teacher at Jefferson Middle School, was selected for the honor. Haverland has taught at Jefferson since 2005. She is also in a teacher leadership role at Jefferson, serving as one of the school’s 21st-century initiative leaders. “Amy is an educational innovator,” said one of her nominators. “[Her] enthusiasm is contagious and spreads to all those she encounters. Students leave her classroom with a feeling of confidence and a genuine love of science.”

Other finalists for the Teacher of the Year Award were:

  • Aaron Dean, an English teacher at Dubuque Senior High School
  • Tim Ebeling, a language arts teacher at Washington Middle School
  • Carolyn Fischer, a science teacher at Dubuque Senior High School
  • Chad Hamilton, a wellness teacher at Bryant Elementary School
  • Jenny Kress, a social studies teacher at Roosevelt Middle School
  • Kelly Neumann, a technology coach at Marshall Elementary School
  • Justin Smith, a social studies teacher at Hempstead High School
  • Mary Jo Vogt, a first-grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School
  • Maureen Waskow, a fifth-grade teacher at Carver Elementary School

At the dinner, two other special awards were presented. Joe Maloney, principal of Marshall Elementary school, received the TEAM (Together Educators and Administrators Make-it-happen) Award presented to an administrator for exemplary support of teacher success. Maloney’s staff members praise him for the environment he creates at school, saying he is a “school administrator who has worked to create a collaborative, collegial working environment for all staff.”

Dave Carnahan, a volunteer at Table Mound Elementary School, received the Friend of Education Award. Carnahan is a former teacher in the Dubuque Community School District, serving for over 33 years from 1971 to 2005. Since then, he has continued to volunteer at Table Mound and be an advocate for education.

This year’s dinner also included a special presentation of a state award. Dan Merritt, assistant principal at Dubuque Senior High School, was presented with the State TEAM Award, given by the Iowa State Education Association. Merritt received the Dubuque TEAM Award last year following a volunteer stint as Senior’s interim principal.