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 19th year that Madison Communications has sponsored the Teacher of the Year Awards contest! Madison has proudly contributed over $30,000 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 1st – May 1st and is divided into the nomination and voting phase. During the month of March Madison received a total of 186 nominations and during the month of April, the teachers received OVER 20,000 votes! The three teachers who received the highest number of votes were announced May 1^st on social media platforms as well as on our website!

The 2024 Teacher of the Year winners are Colleen Favre from Ben-Gil Elementary School in Gillespie, Lane Harmon from Mt. Olive School District, and Tammy Hyman from Bethalto East Primary School! One nomination for Mrs. Favre stated, “She is such a sweet, caring, kind hearted person. She always greets the kids with a smile on her face. She deserves this award more than anyone”. Mr. Harmon was complimented by a staff member who said, “Mr. Harmon is an amazing Band Director/Music Teacher for Mt. Olive School District. He is very enthusiastic about the music program and encourages students to explore their musical talents. He is always willing to help students improve, even willing to stay after hours to help. He is continuously seeking new opportunities for students to learn and the music/band program to grow”. Mrs. Hyman was complimented on her support for her students in and out of the classroom. One parent said, “Mrs. Hyman is a wonderful, caring teacher. My granddaughter is in her 1st grade class and loves to come to school. She teaches her to read and she is already reading chapter books! Mrs. Hyman comes to watch her play soccer. She even came all the way to Godfrey to watch her play. She is the best”!

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 186 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 2024 nominated teachers, please visit https://gomadison.com/teacher-of-the-year/.