Paul Winfield makes his acceptance speech as the 2003-2004 BCPS Teacher of the Year.

The Baltimore County Public Schools announced the selection of Paul E. Winfield as Teacher of the Year for the 2003-2004 school year. Superintendent Joe A. Hairston declared the winner at a ceremony held on May 16 in Towson. Winfield, a BCPS schoolteacher for seven years, is a mathematics teacher at Southwest Academy in Woodlawn. Mrs. Donna Miller, an ESOL teacher at Carney Elementary School was the runner-up.

Along with the Superintendent, several Board of Education members were in attendance to share in the celebration, including President Donald Arnold, and members Phyllis Ettinger, Warren Hayman, and James Walker. Former Baltimore County Teachers of the Year were invited to the ceremony and each shared their past and present “stories” with the audience and wished Paul Winfield the best for his future as the 2003-04 BCPS Teacher of the Year. Matthew Joseph, education liaison from the County Executive's Office, presented each finalist with a citation from James Smith. Darla Strouse, the Teacher of the Year Coordinator from MSDE, was on hand to bring greetings and good wishes from the State Department.

Along with the prestigious honor, Winfield received generous donations from the area business community. The Baltimore Area Toyota Dealers provided the Teacher of the Year with a 2004 Toyota Corolla to use for the year, and Comcast Cable donated $1,000 for the purchase of a laptop computer.

More photos of the event can be found here.

By Marjorie Hampson Communications Specialist, BCPS Teacher of the Year Coordinator