Lincoln Academy English teacher Bridget Wright (center) poses for a photo with LA Head of School Jeff Burroughs and Maine Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, after being named Lincoln County Teacher of the Year on Wednesday, May 14. Wright said she is excited to be an advocate for teaching in the county and across the state. (Courtesy photo)
In a ceremony on Wednesday, May 14 that highlighted the hard work and dedication of educators throughout the state, Lincoln Academy English teacher Bridget Wright was named Lincoln County Teacher of the Year.
The ceremony, which takes place annually around Teacher Appreciation Week in the Hall of Flags at the Maine Capitol, honors one teacher from each of Maine’s 16 counties.
Wright is the first teacher from Lincoln Academy to be named the Lincoln County Teacher of the Year.
“I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Wright said. “They’re brand new.”
In partnership with Educate Maine, the Maine County and State Teachers of the Year Association, and the Maine State Board of Education, the Maine Department of Education considered more than 500 educators across the state for the teacher of the year program this year.
Wright, who has been teaching for the 13 years, joined Lincoln Academy’s English department in 2022.
She graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in English. She received a master’s degree in educational leadership from the same university in 2018.
Wright took her first teaching job at Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft, where she stayed for seven years and served as a dorm parent.
There’s no question that Wright always knew she would become a teacher, she said. As many children do, Wright spent brief periods of time fantasizing about many career paths, but she never strayed from her love of teaching, school, and learning. She has always appreciated the value of interactions between students and teachers and the community structure schools bring, she said.
As the Lincoln County Teacher of the Year, Wright said she is most excited that she gets to be an advocate for teaching in the county. Throughout their year of service, the Maine County Teachers of the Year act as ambassadors for teachers, students, and schools across the state.
Wright said Becky Hallowell, the 2024 Lincoln County Teacher of the Year and 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year, told her the award does not signify perfection as an educator. Instead, the award reflects a drive to push for change and growth in education.
“It just means that I’m a person whose chosen and been chosen to take up this mantle to be a voice for what we as teachers need, and support initiatives, and try to bring community together,” Wright said. “I’m not saying I’m the best or perfect, I’m just a teacher who’s in a position where I can use my voice to support everybody else, which is cool.”
Wright said a big hope she has is to learn more about the legislative process and the behind-the-scenes work at the Maine Department of Education so she can do a better job at advocating for change through “formal and official” channels.
“It’s like 10 times more important to hear from the teachers, the people really doing this work – rather than just the (Department of Education) – and get their perspective of it, so I’m excited to try to get engaged that way, too,” she said.
Overall, Wright said she is excited to see what the next year as Lincoln County Teacher of the Year brings.
“It’s going to be a lot of work; there’s a lot of professional development days this summer, a lot of days next year, but I think it’ll be really rejuvenating,” she said.
Each of the 2025 Maine County Teachers of the Year is eligible to be named the 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year, which will be announced in the fall. For more information, go to mainetoy.org or find pages for Maine Teacher of the Year and Maine County Teachers of the Year on Facebook.
