Hale County educator Nicholas Seale has been nominated for the 2021 Elevate an Educator campaign for FREADOM Literacy for All. Educators are nominated across the country to the for-profit organization’s campaign for their notable contributions to literacy among their students and the community at large. Elevated by Melanie Maddox, Seale began his education career as an elementary school teacher, before transferring to middle school to run the library. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Seale made a concerted effort to offer online access to a library of books for students to continue reading from home. Seale worked to get every student a device to make a multitude of genres available to Hale County middle schoolers. Maddox praised Seale for his advocacy in her description of the educator on FREADOM’s website, saying, “I’m honored and blessed to work alongside such an advocate for reading!” Seale is one of two finalists in the Southeast region, where eight more educators are nominated, with two in each geographical region of the United States: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West. Community members can vote for Seale, where if qualified, will move to the final round. In the final round, FREADOM will decide on 2021’s Most Valuable Educator (MVE) and receive a $500 gift card to FREADOM. FREADOM is a forprofit organization that creates and sells products where 100% of net profits go to literacy programs and initiatives across the United States. FREADOM sets an annual goal of $100 million in investments to literacy. Among their programs, Elevate an Educator rewards educators and seeks to uplift those that advocate for literacy in their fields. Nominations ended February 1, 2021, marking the first 100 days of school. Every nominator receives a free sticker pack, with every nominee receiving a digital gift card to be used for FREADOM merchandise. This is the organization’s second annual Elevate and Educator campaign. Those interested in voting, can cast their votes on freadomusa.com.
