ACHIEVE Award Winner 2026 – Nicole Lesperance

Nicole Lesperance serves as the Technology Integration Specialist and Training Coordinator for RSU 9 in the Farmington area. She was nominated by Laura Columbia, who highlighted Lesperance's growth as an educational technology leader and her commitment to making technology-based professional learning accessible to educators throughout the region. 

Through her work planning the Summer Tech Institute, Lesperance has created opportunities for educators from multiple school districts to learn together and explore practical, relevant approaches to technology integration. Her energy, dedication, and willingness to support others have allowed her influence to extend beyond her own district. 

“Nicole is always looking for ways to help educators use technology more effectively to support teaching and learning,” Columbia shared in her nomination. “It has been wonderful to watch her grow into a leader who is making an impact well beyond her own district.” 

ACHIEVE Award Winner 2026 – Keith Kelley

Kelley is an Integrated Technology Teacher at Nokomis Middle School in Newport, where he works with students in grades five through eight. His innovative program combines modern technology education with hands-on design, construction, coding and problem-solving. 

Described as a “21st-century shop class,” Kelley’s classroom gives students opportunities to build, code, drill, sand, create and collaborate. Projects involving skateboards, LEGO materials, 3D printing and robot derbies help students learn technical skills while developing creativity, teamwork, perseverance and the ability to solve authentic problems. 

Kelley’s nomination emphasized his ability to make learning active and engaging. Students do more than learn how to use tools and technology, they learn how to work with one another, respond to challenges and turn their ideas into tangible creations. 

“Keith’s students get their hands dirty and learn while they do it,”  Kern Kelley wrote.