Unum, Sea Dogs to honor Maine’s top teachers

“Starting 9” team of outstanding teachers and Maine Teacher of the Year recognized at Unum’sannual Teachers’ Hall of Fame event

PORTLAND, Maine (June 5, 2015) — Unum and the Portland Sea Dogs will salute 10 Maine educators at the annual Teachers’ Hall of Fame “Starting 9” recognition event at Hadlock Field, before the game against the Bowie Baysox.

The “Starting 9” program honors educators who make a difference in the lives of their students.

“Having exceptional classroom teachers is the key component to improving student performance,” said Cary Olson Cartwright, Unum’s assistant vice president of corporate social responsibility. “And too often, the exceptional work they do goes unnoticed. As much as we’d like to, we can’trecognize all the wonderful teachers in Maine, but we want to recognize teachers who, in particular, have created innovative classroom lessons and engage parents, families and communities.”

The program also will honor the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year,Jennifer Dorman of Skowhegan Area Middle School, as team manager of this year's Starting 9.

The 2015 Starting 9 are:

  • Rebecca Maiorano, Presumpscot Elementary School
  • Deidre Mitchell, Bloomfield Elementary School, Skowhegan
  • Joni Wardell, Miles Lane School, Bucksport
  • Julie Lefebvre, Mahoney Middle School
  • Caroline Wiggett, Harrison Middle School, Yarmouth
  • Ethan Wright, Buckfield Jr./Sr. High School
  • Joe Haney, Waterville Sr. High School
  • Jennifer Sullivan, Windham High School
  • Anthony Roy, Machias Memorial High School

Unum asked the community to nominate teachers from a Maine public school or district who has made an extraordinary difference in the classroom. A committee selected three teachers based on their creativity and innovation in the classroom in each of the following grade levels: K–4, 5–8, and 9–12.

The nine teachers, as well as the Maine Teacher of the Year, will receive a check for $500, a personalized Sea Dogs uniform top, six tickets in the picnic area, as well as the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The event begins at 6:40 p.m.on Friday, June 5 with the introduction of the “Starting 9” on the field before the start of the game against the Baysox.

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Unum Group ( is a leading provider of financial protection benefits in the United States and the United Kingdom. Unum’s portfolio includes disability, life, accident and critical illness coverage, which help protect millions of working people and their families in the event of an illness or injury. The company reported revenues of $10.35 billion in 2013, and its subsidiaries – Unum US, Colonial Life and Unum UK – provided more than $6 billion in benefits last year.

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