GAHANNA, Ohio — The Ohio Education Association announced that their 2024 Ohio Teacher of the Year is Gahanna Lincoln High School teacher Mark Lowrie.
Lowrie was given the news of his award during a ceremony at the high school on Thursday.
He worked for 12 years in the broadcast television industry before returning to school to earn his master's degree in education to become a teacher. He then went on to spend 18 years in Amherst schools before moving to Gahanna Lincoln High School four years ago.
“His dedication to building outstanding broadcast journalism programs for his students – in both his current role at Gahanna Lincoln High School and previously at Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst – exemplifies the incredible work Ohio’s public educators do every day to help their students learn valuable life skills so they can follow their dreams,” said OEA President Scott DiMauro. “Mr. Lowrie’s students over the past two decades are so lucky that he followed his own dream and found his calling in the classroom."
The live newscasts he produces with his students have earned multiple honors, including three National Student Production Awards, also knowns as the "Student Emmys," in 2022 alone.
"Mr. Lowrie demonstrates clearly why public education matters so much in Ohio,” said DiMauro, who attended Thursday’s event at Gahanna Lincoln High School to surprise Lowrie with the news of his award. “Great public schools open a world of opportunities for students from all walks of life, and exceptional educators like Mr. Lowrie make that possible.”