CONCORD – The state Department of Education has announced the selection of the four finalists for the 2023 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year award, according to Commissioner Frank Edelblut.

Three of the four finalists teach at schools in the Nashua area: Susan Bradford, who teaches third grade at the James Mastricola Elementary School in Merrimack; Christian Cheetham, a teacher for grades 9-12 at Alvirne High School in Hudson; and Jennifer MacLeod, an eighth-grade teacher at Hollis Brookline Middle School in Hollis.

The fourth finalist is Curt McDermott, who teaches grades 9-12 at Goffstown High School in Goffstown.

“The Teacher of the Year process highlights the profound impact that good educators have on families, students, and their local communities,” said Ryan Terrell, a member of the selection committee. “Our 2023 finalists exemplify the high bar set by New Hampshire’s history of K-12 academic excellence – a model for the country.”

The finalists were among more than 120 nominees – the most the selection committee has received in the history of the Teacher of the Year competition.

The field was eventually narrowed to 44 applicants, from which the four finalists were selected.

Selection committee members will visit each finalist in their classrooms throughout September, and will announce the 2023 Teacher of the Year by Oct. 1.

The committee includes Valerie Sununu, New Hampshire’s First Lady, who said she considers herself fortunate to serve as a member of the committee.

“When you spend time with the teachers who have been nominated by their community for excellence, and who have taken the time to demonstrate the mission that drives their craft, you immediately feel inspired and compelled to support and nourish the profession,” Sununu said.

“I will continue to do everything I can to shine a spotlight on excellence in education and to build bridges between the profession and the community,” she added.

Edelblut, the education commissioner, said the Granite State “is blessed to have so many outstanding educators working to provide superb learning environments.

“It is evident that these four teachers have built classroom settings where students’ academic and educational outcomes may grow and prosper for years to come,” Edelblut added.

For more information on the Teacher of the Year program and the state DOE in general, go to www.education.nh.gov.