News

North Central Educational Service District (NCESD) has selected Matt Brown as the 2019 regional Teacher of the Year.

Brown is a Music teacher at Manson Middle and High Schools. He has been in education for 13 years and holds a Master’s Degree in Music from Sam Houston State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Washington. His teaching roles have included choir grades 7-12, band grades 5-12, jazz band, drumline, and a guitar/piano course. He is also in his second year of leading the Okanogan Valley Orchestra.

“It is a great honor and privilege to be named NCESD Teacher of the Year.   I am happy to accept this title on behalf of all dedicated educators who strive daily to meet the needs of our learners.  I encourage students to be inquisitive. Test scores and metrics are important, but I challenge students to find the questions that they are passionate about and dig deep. When they do, they often find that there are many, many connections to the things they are learning in school,” he explained.

Brown was selected by a committee from a pool of nominees submitted from throughout the four-county NCESD service district.

“The choice was very difficult because of the outstanding caliber of candidates.  But, Matt’s passion for his students was very clear.  His love for teaching was evident and his commitment to his students is inspiring,” explained selection committee member and NCESD employee Sariann Meredith.

Each ESD in Washington State selects a regional Teacher of the Year, who go on to compete for state honors. The State winner serves as a spokesperson and representative of teachers at the local, state and national levels. Camille Jones, a teacher from the Quincy School District was selected as the 2017 Washington State Teacher of the Year.