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Three western Pennsylvania teachers named finalists in 2026 Pa. Teacher of the Year
Three western Pennsylvania teachers named finalists in 2026 Pa. Teacher of the Year

CBS News

time17-05-2025

  • General
  • CBS News

Three western Pennsylvania teachers named finalists in 2026 Pa. Teacher of the Year

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, along with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, announced the 12 finalists for the 2026 Commonwealth Teacher of the Year Award. Among the 12 finalists are three teachers from western Pennsylvania. They include Katherine Blandino-Nienhuls of Pittsburgh Public Schools, Jennifer Nesser of Laurel Highlands School District, and Rebecca Showalter of the Mount Lebanon School District. "Ask anyone if they remember the teacher who inspired them most, and nearly everyone will immediately smile and name an educator from their past," said Pennsylvania's Acting Secretary of Education, Dr. Carrie Rowe. "Excellent educators make a lifelong impact on the learners they serve each day in classrooms across the Commonwealth, and these 12 finalists demonstrate the qualities needed in a great teacher: supportive, engaged, and passionate about the learners in their care." The winner of the award will be announced at a ceremony in early December, and they will represent Pennsylvania at local, regional, and national events, including a National Teacher of the Year ceremony at the White House. Last year's winner, Leon Smith, a secondary teacher at Haverford High School in Haverford, Pa., has spent 22 years with the district, teaching several courses including honors and AP social studies, and 10th and 12th grade African-American studies. Meanwhile, the 2024 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, Ashlie Crosson, was named the National Teacher of the Year, becoming the first-ever Pennsylvania teacher to win that honor. Crosson teaches 10th-grade English and AP language & composition at Mifflin High School in Lewistown, Pa. The full list of nominees is below. Whitney Bellomo, Dallastown Area School District, York County Nicole Birkbeck, Council Rock School District, Bucks County Katherine Blandino-Nienhuls, Pittsburgh Public School District, Allegheny County Renee Decker, Central York School District, York County Madeline Loring, Jefferson-Morgan School District, Jefferson County Jenna Love, Elizabethtown Area School District, Lancaster County Jennifer Nesser, Laurel Highlands School District, Fayette County Ashley Oldham, Big Spring School District, Cumberland County Andrea Rutledge, Hempfield School District, Lancaster County Rachel Sebastian, Governor Mifflin School District, Berks County Rebecca Showalter, Mount Lebanon School District, Allegheny County Elizabeth Troxell, Penns Valley Area School District, Centre County You can learn more about the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year program on the Pennsylvania Department of Education's website at this link.

When the world of food met at IIHM Kolkata, for a better world
When the world of food met at IIHM Kolkata, for a better world

Yahoo

time10-02-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

When the world of food met at IIHM Kolkata, for a better world

50 Young Chef Olympians wore their national dress, cooked their national dish but brought the world together on the same plate; ten Grand Finalists, and Plate finalists of YCO 25 also announced but everyone is a clear winner KOLKATA, India, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- No where else will one find Bhutan next to Ethiopia, or India next to South Korea, their culinary flavours wafting around in a truly global environment, with countries like Australia, Botswana close by, but at the food stalls arena of the United World of Young Chefs — a non-competitive event, at the IIHM Global Campus in Kolkata, a major event of the Young Chef Olympiad, the largest congregation of young chefs in the world, the only such coming together of 50 chefs from fifty countries, together, literally cooking up a culinary storm of unity, solidarity, sustainability and togetherness. UWYC is a celebration of friendship and camaraderie, offering Young Chef Olympians a chance to experience solidarity through culinary arts amidst the intense competition Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman IIHM & Chairman YCO, told the media, "This is absolutely unique. 50 countries put their best foot forward and their best food forward, in the same place, wearing their national attire with pride. This is culinary nationalism flavoured with unity as an essence of mankind. This is beyond just food, but food is indeed the X factor, which brings so many nations across the world in this beautiful Young Chef's movement, a movement of harmony." "Dishes of participating countries in respective host cities create awareness and break cultural barriers through the universal language of food," said Prof. David Foskett OBE and Chairman of the Jury of YCO. At the Global Campus of the IIHM on Wednesday night, culinary art was blended with the colourful national attire worn by the young student chefs. Thus, a Hanbok from South Korea, Gho (for men) from Bhutan, a Shamma from Ethiopia and a Thobe from Saudi Arabia were dresses the chefs proudly wore — quite literally wearing their identity and pride, on their sleeves. This year's edition introduced an exciting twist, where the national dishes were open to public vote, allowing the world to determine the most popular national dish. Meanwhile, as the evening drew a close, the moment of reckoning arrived as the selection of teams for the Grand Finale, the Plate Trophy and the Dr. Suborno Bose challenge was announced based on their rankings after their Round one competition. The top ten countries, who were the Grand Finalists, will display their culinary skills for the Golden Toque to be presented to the Champion; those placed between 11 and 20 qualified to compete for the Plate Trophy; while the remaining countries were grouped in pairs and competed, as collaborators, for the Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge today, February 6. These results announced on Wednesday, February 5, evening saw the following Young Chef Olympians becoming the Grand Finalists: Abdulaziz Saleh Bedeiry, Saudi Arabia; Syed Aftab Ali, Uganda; Kamran Taylor, England; Yves Gabriel C Po, Philippines; George Mutwiri Liech, Kenya; Shirin Moosaee, Iran; Lim Qi Yi, Malaysia; Alicia Dzithendo Muvhirwa, South Africa; Ozodbek Odilov, Uzbekistan; and Arsen Armenakyan, Armenia. Countries in the plate finals are Nepal, France, Bhutan, Mexico, Wales, Nigeria, Albania, Sweden, Azerbaijan and South Korea. The Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge prize, which the remaining 28 nations will compete for, is actually a flagship competition of culinary collaboration, unlikely to be witnessed anywhere else globally. Paired into 14 groups, two countries with diverse culinary cultures had their representatives cooking together to win the prize. If food brings countries together, this competition, in the Young Chef Olympiad, is a visible manifestation of it. Those who made it to the Grand Finals were elated. Young Chef Olympian Kamran Taylor of England said, "I'm very happy to be in the top ten. I didn't expect it but am looking forward to the Grand Finale and wishing everyone in England as well." Shirin Moosaee from Iran chipped in excitedly, "I'm really excited, very nervous about it, but very happy and excited about it, and thank God I was successful." Alicia Dzithendo Muvhirwa of South Africa exuded confidence and said, "I'm happy, of course, but am confident of my talent." She added, laughing, "Watch out for South Africa." The Chairman of the Grand Jury, David Foskett, underlined the uniqueness and speciality of the judging process: "The judging process is very thorough, very ethical and based on meritocracy. The ability and skill of each competitor and how they have performed on the day matters. I cannot stress enough how ethical YCO judges are." The business end of the YCO began today (Feb 6) with the Dr. Suborno Bose Challenge competition. The Plate Finals will be held on Feb 7 and the Grand Finale and closing ceremony on Feb 8. But this week is and will be as much about the Young Chef Olympiads as about the students of IIHM, the judges, the organising team of the YCO and the parents and family of their students. Each one of them and everyone collectively have the brought the world together, and on the same plate. About IIHM The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) is a leading hospitality education institution in India, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in hospitality and hotel management. The institute has campuses in several cities in India and abroad, as well as partnerships with leading hospitality institutions worldwide. IIHM has a strong commitment to promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the hospitality industry and has been recognised as one of India's best hospitality education institutions. Contact Details: Mr. Abdullah AhmedChief Operating Office IIHM Hotel School Phone No: 011-43204700 Photo: View original content to download multimedia:

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