Rural broadband is more than making an Internet connection, it’s about connecting people and giving back to our local communities. This year marks the 18^th year that Madison Communications has sponsored the Teacher of the Year Awards contest! Madison has proudly contributed over $27,000 to local area schools through this program.

The Teacher of the Year program annually presents an award to three teachers. Teachers employed at school districts within Madison’s service areas are eligible to be nominated for this award. The contest takes place from March 1^st – May 1^st and is divided into the nomination and voting phase. During the month of March Madison received a total of 210 nominations and during the month of April, they received over 20,000 votes. This was a big jump from receiving 140 nominations and 12,000 votes in the 2022 contest. The three teachers who received the highest number of votes were announced May 1^st on social media platforms as well as on the https://gomadison.com/ website.

The 2023 Teacher of the Year winners are Bernadette Friedel from Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School in Bethalto, Jenny Brefeld from Bethalto East Primary School, and Kimberly Greenwood from Mt. Olive Elementary School! One nomination for Mrs. Friedel stated, “She exemplifies what Our Lady Queen of Peace strives to help all students become…. responsible, productive, faith filled adults.” Mrs. Brefeld was complimented by a student who said, “She’s kind and thoughtful with the kids and always keeps me informed with things going on in class or school. She’s always giving them incentives to earn with good behavior.” The nominations for Mrs. Greenwood complimented her patience with her students. One parent said, “Kim teaches special education for Pre-K. She has the most patience and love for all of her students. She has a smile on her face every day regardless of what is going on. She loves all of her students like they are her own and I know they all feel the same about her.”

Each winner received $500 to go toward future student advancement projects, a personalized glass book Teacher of the Year trophy, and a classroom pizza party hosted by the Madison Marketing Team.

Madison wishes to congratulate all of the teachers who were nominated by local area students, parents, and administrators for the impact they have on the students each day. To view a complete list of the 2023 nominated teachers, please visit https://gomadison.com/teacher-of-the-year/.