Page 20 - Spring Summer 2023

Houlton Spanish Teacher is One of 10 Nationwide
to Receive Inaugural HMH Lighthouse Award
May 9, 2023 - HOULTON, Maine (WAGM) - It’s teacher
appreciation week and a Houlton teacher started
off the week celebrating in a special way. Traci Storti
‘88, the Spanish teacher for Houlton High School,
was one of 10 educators across the nation, and the
only teacher in Maine, to be awarded the inaugural
HMH Lighthouse Award. More than 500 teachers
were nominated. The award honors teachers who
show a commitment to going above and beyond for
their students, who are committed to the success
of students in every part of their lives and serve as a
guiding force to those around them, inspiring them to
be lighthouses to others. Storti, who was nominated
by a colleague, found out she won the award while on
a trip with students in Europe.
Traci Storti ’88, Lighthouse Award Winner: “At first it
came into my work email as, congratulations you have
won. And I’m thinking, I never get spam to my email,
my work email, what’s going on with that? And I read it
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and I found out the colleague that nominated me and
I thought, this is crazy! And it said I was a finalist, so I
thought that I would have to go on and do more with
that. But I just had to say yes, thank you, I will accept
your award. So, to be one of ten teachers recognized in
the U.S. I have no words for the great honor that this is.”
Jarod Toner ‘26, Freshman Spanish Student: “She has a
unique way of teaching for sure, but it’s very effective
and it creates a very fun classroom environment. I don’t
think I could ask for a better teacher.”
Storti has been teaching for 27 years, 26 of those at
Houlton High School. The winners of the Lighthouse
award will receive a visit from speaker and author of
The Lighthouse Effect, Steve Pemberton and NAIC
COO Carmen Ortiz-McGhee. They also will receive
an all-expenses paid trip to the 2023 Model Schools
Conference in Orlando, Florida in June.
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