A Day with Dawn Lee: Celebrating a 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year Finalist and Inclusivity Visionary

Dawn Lee connects with a student over artwork during a Unified Literacy class.

In the hallways of Morse High School, the sense of school pride is palpable. On a regular Tuesday in September, cerulean attire—representing the Shipbuilders’ school spirit color—dots the sea of students transitioning from class to class. Teenagers smile at one another, occasionally shouting a name to wave a greeting excitedly from a distance. One word comes to mind in this cheerful, bustling morning moment: inclusivity.

For Morse High School librarian Dawn Lee, inclusion has been a focal point of her career. She is a founding leader of the school’s Unified Literacy program, which has been recognized at the national level for bringing students with and without intellectual disabilities together through reading, writing, and art. Lee is also the 2025 Sagadahoc County Teacher of the Year and one of four state finalists for 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year.

Dawn Lee is dedicated to capturing moments of inclusivity among her students through photography.

During the week of September 22, as part of the final stage for the Teacher of the Year selection process, a panel of state leaders visited RSU 1 to see Lee in her classroom—and to hear from the students, colleagues, administrators, and community members who know her. The feelings expressed and memories shared by all were warm, thoughtful, and telling.

“She is the perennial advocate, the positivity, the cheerleader, and the doer,” Eric Varney, Morse High School principal, gushed about Lee. “She is the person who is constantly thinking about the way that things could be better.”

Dawn Lee’s Honors English 10 class provides students with an opportunity to explore a meticulously curated book selection in the library.

Administrators and colleagues expressed that Lee has forever been on a mission to create an environment in which inclusion is the standard. When students returned to an in-person educational model following the pandemic, Lee and other educators noticed that the kids were not talking to one another. That separation ignited the spark that fueled Lee’s push to create the Unified Literacy program, based on the school’s Unified Athletics program—led by physical education teacher Charlie Bingham.

“She’s looking out for the best interest of all kids,” Bingham said.

“In working with Charlie to create Unified Academics, Dawn has changed the culture of this school,” Julia LaRosa, Morse High School Unified Science teacher, expressed. “Everyone is a learner, and everyone deserves to be everywhere.”

Even before Unified Academics existed at the school, Lee was cultivating that kind of an environment. In her decades of teaching at Morse High School, Lee has seen many students graduate, some of which are now her present-day colleagues. Angelique Tamburo, an instructor at Bath Regional Career and Technical Center, said she remembers the library—and Lee and library assistant Brenda Fagan—being her safe space as a student when she was experiencing a challenging home life.

“One of the things that Ms. Lee and Ms. Fagan taught me is that I mattered. My birthday never went by without them celebrating me,” Tamburo expressed. “Now, I get to help kids and tell them, ‘You’re not alone.’ I get to be that person now, and that’s thanks to Ms. Lee.”

Dawn Lee’s Unified Literacy class allows students of all abilities to connect over reading, writing, and art.

Tucked into the back corner of the library is a closet, replete with boxes of dry goods, canned food, and hygiene products. Lee has been running this food pantry for more than 15 years, recognizing that in order to successfully learn, students must first have their basic needs met. The pantry is open to all, no questions asked—leaving no room for stigma. On “Produce Tuesdays,” at Morse High School, Lee and Fagan also set up tables at the front of the building with fresh produce for kids to take home.

“She is a gentle warrior for our kids. She fights for them every day behind the scenes,” John Dever, a Morse High School educator and 2017 Sagadahoc County Teacher of the Year—who nominated Lee for the title in 2025—said.

Dawn Lee has run the Morse High School food pantry for more than 15 years.

Lee’s generosity is also not lost on her students.

“It’s really refreshing to see someone who cares so much about her community,” student Grace Kirk said.

“She’s very patient, and she’s very loving,” Avery Steenstra, another student, added. “It’s really important to see that a teacher cares about you and that she’s going to do anything to help you.”

Students likened Lee to a flattering variety of fictional characters including Miss Honey from
“Matilda,” Mary Poppins, Molly Weasley from “Harry Potter,” Joy from Inside Out, Maria from “The Sound of Music,” Ms. Frizzle, and Inspector Gadget. Whether they have connected with her through class, the library, study hall, or receiving help with projects like citations or AP research—students agree that “selfless” is a word that could be used to describe Lee.

“I didn’t have much positivity when I was in middle school, but when I met Ms. Lee, she was really eye-opening. She brought back a lot of my self-confidence that I lost when I was in middle school,” student Hunter Johnson said.

More than a dozen Morse High School students gathered to testify about their experiences with Ms. Lee for the 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year selection process.

Lee is a lifelong learner, taking advantage of various professional development opportunities and fellowship programs throughout the summer. Her prioritization of inclusion in education—made possible with help from her teaching partner, ed tech Jonathan Fisk—has made an impact on what many of her students are choosing to pursue post-high school. A handful of local parents testified that their children are now studying education or special education in college because they had Lee as a teacher. One parent even mentioned that a previous exchange student her family hosted from Egypt expressed interest in bringing Unified Literacy to schools in her country.  

“She’s the ground zero,” Peter Kent, the parent of a Morse High School student with special needs, said of Lee. “The program that she and Mr. Fisk put together—this is what it created. She’s not at the center of it promoting herself, but she’s there in the background. I’ve heard from talking to some of the kids that this program made a huge difference to them.”

In expressing her gratitude for the esteemed recognition as a 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year finalist, Lee emotionally mentioned her beloved late grandmother, who was illiterate—and a driving force for Lee’s passion about making literacy accessible to all.

“I believe in what we do here,” Lee said of Morse High School. “I believe in our students. I believe that when you hold students to a high standard, they will rise to the occasion.”

This article is part of a series profiling the four finalists for 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year. Visit the Maine DOE Newsroom throughout the week to learn more about each finalist.