Last year, Amy Doyle, social studies teacher, won the award. The year before James Nacy, orchestra teacher, won. He preceded by Ed Shouse, science teacher.

The honor is for being the Teacher of the Year, and it is a district award that recognizes the teachers who go above and beyond, Dr. Jennifer Sebold, associate principal, said.

The first step in earning the award is being nominated.

“First there is an open nomination period,” Dr. Sebold said. “Anyone in the building can nominate someone they think should win.”

The next step in the process is that teachers vote for who they think should win the award.

However, Dr. Sebold said she doesn’t know why students aren’t allowed to be involved with the award past the nomination process.

“Historically, students haven’t gotten to vote,” Dr. Sebold said. “I don’t know why. I am inheriting the program, and that was a question no one could answer right away.”

Dr. Sebold said that it is the same way across the district.

“I came from Rockwood Summit,” Sebold said. “It was my experience that students don’t participate in the voting process.”

Yet, many students were involved in the process of nominating Doyle.

Joe Vogt, social studies teacher, pushed many teachers and students to nominate Doyle for the prize last year.

“I have been nominating Ms. Doyle since I got Teacher of the Year in 2007,” Vogt said. “I suggested teachers and students e-mail Mrs. Reboulet.”

The Teacher of the Year award doesn’t apply only to Rockwood. Once a teacher wins district, they become qualified for the state award.

“It’s a huge, huge honor,” Dr. Sebold said. “It’s a thankless job most of the time.”

In order to get more involved, Dr. Sebold said she would encourage students to lobby for a teacher they want to win once nominations are over so that they can still be involved in the process.

All nominations must be submitted to Mary Kay Reboulet, Dr. Sebold’s secretary, by 3:30 on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Then, ballots will be placed into mailboxes for teachers to vote on Tuesday, Feb. 15.