Maine Educators Won 2026 ACHIEVE Awards
The Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine honored two teachers for their classroom innovation.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Secondary Education
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The Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine (ACTEM) has selected Nicole Lesperance and Keith Kelley as its 2026 ACHIEVE Award winners. These educators were recognized for their commitment to bringing high-level technology integration into Maine classrooms.
Why it matters
The ACHIEVE Award, which stands for ACTEM Commends Highly Innovative Educators that Value Excellence, highlights the importance of fostering digital literacy and creative problem-solving skills in schools. By honoring these teachers, the organization aims to promote effective instructional methods across the state.
The 2026 awards honor innovative teaching practices, including Keith Kelley's curriculum for grades 5-8. The recipients will be formally recognized at the upcoming ACTEM Fall Conference.
The players
Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine
This professional organization supports educators across Maine by providing resources and networking for technology integration in classrooms.
Nicole Lesperance
She serves as a Technology Integration Specialist for RSU 9 in Farmington and coordinates educational learning opportunities.
Keith Kelley
He is an educator at Nokomis Middle School in Newport who focuses on teaching design, coding, and robotics.
The details
Keith Kelley, a teacher at Nokomis Middle School in Newport, integrates coding, robotics, and design into his daily lessons, while Nicole Lesperance, a Technology Integration Specialist for RSU 9 in Farmington, organizes professional development through the Summer Tech Institute. Both educators have been selected for their leadership in modernizing educational technology tools for students and peers.
Timeline
October 15-16, 2026: Recipients will be honored at the ACTEM Fall Conference in Augusta.
Culture Shift
The recognition of these educators signals a broader shift in secondary education toward experiential, project-based learning. This trend prioritizes student engagement through hands-on technical skills over traditional lecture-based instructional models.
These awards provide a roadmap for parents and local school districts to evaluate the quality of technology integration in their own classrooms. Residents can look to the methods used by Kelley and Lesperance to understand the benchmarks for modern digital literacy in Maine schools.
The takeaway
The selection of these educators highlights how hands-on training in robotics and coding is becoming a standard expectation for modern classrooms. Parents and teachers can implement these strategies by supporting local professional development programs that prioritize technical skill-building.
What happens next
The ACTEM Fall Conference will be held at the Augusta Civic Center on October 15-16, 2026, where the award recipients will be officially honored.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations in Secondary Education in our dedicated regional portal.
More information
Find complete details on the ACTEM and ACHIEVE Award information on the association website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dailybulldog.
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