Gorham Middle School teacher Mary Ridge was named the Junior Achievement 2025–2026 Educator of the Year. This was an honor recognizing her educational expertise and her ability to connect with students and impact their learning and their lives.

Junior Achievement recognizes educators who help students see the connection between what they’re learning and the world they’re about to enter. It’s a deceptively simple idea, but it takes real skill to pull off consistently, especially with middle schoolers, who have an excellent radar for anything that feels forced or performative. In Ms. Ridge’s classroom, students there don’t just learn content, they figure out what to do with it.

Lucas Witham, principal of GMS, stated, “What stands out about Mary isn’t any single lesson or project, it’s the accumulation of small moments where a student leaves her class thinking differently about themselves or their future. That kind of teaching is hard to quantify, but it leaves a mark.”

He continued, “For the staff at GMS, this recognition felt like a confirmation of what was already known. Mary Ridge is the kind of educator who makes one proud to work alongside her, and this award reflects not just what she’s accomplished, but who she is.”