Ben Raymond is 2009 Great Person Award winner (Dec. 26, 2008)
By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
The results are in, and this year’s recipient of the Sentry “Great Person Award” is Cape Elizabeth resident and high school teacher Ben Raymond.
“There must be some kind of mistake,” Raymond said when notified by the Sentry.
Ben Raymond said he had no idea his wife, Caroline Raymond, nominated him until people at the school began telling him about it.
“He works so incredibly hard, I saw the contest in the Sentry and figured ‘What the heck?’ I never, ever thought he would win, especially after seeing some of the other entries,” Caroline Raymond said. “Some of those other people have done really amazing things.”
Caroline Raymond said her husband has become “a local celebrity” since the couple moved to Cape Elizabeth in 1994. She said her husband’s former students often call from college to reconnect and some even stop by their home.
“He’s made such a difference in their lives,” she said.
Caroline Raymond said her husband’s hard work isn’t just rewarding for his students; as a graduate student and a full time employee, she said she relies on him for financial security.
“He works so hard just so we can live here, because you know, teachers don’t make a whole lot,” she said. “He has to deliver the paper just to make ends meet.”
Look for the Weekly Interview with Ben Raymond in the Jan. 9 edition of the Sentry.
Below is Caroline Raymond’s nomination statement for her husband.
“Ben is an amazing hardworking guy that puts everyone else first, he teaches special education, coaches three sports and delivers the newspaper every night. He is an amazing father to his two kids. He does this all to be able to do what he loves, which is coaching and to live in his home town Cape Elizabeth.”
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