OAKLAND — At a surprise school assembly this morning, Shelly Moody was named Maine’s 2011 Teacher of the Year.

Students, teachers and parents packed the Williams Elementary School gymnasium, where Moody accepted the annual award.

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HELPING HANDS: Shelly Moody, a teacher at Williams Elementary School in Oakland, holds onto her 5-year-old son, Jacob, Friday morning as she is announced as the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year. The school assembly was advertised as a gathering about anti-bullying to keep it a surprise. In the background, students, teachers and parents raised their hands when asked whether they thought the assembly was about something else. Staff photo by Scott Monroe

Attending the assembly were Education Commissioner Angela Faherty, School Superintendent Gary Smith and the 2010 award recipient, Kevin Grover.

With her students and her family watching, Moody, 34, of Oakland, praised everyone who helped her along the way.

“I teach because I get to watch you grow — just like seeds planted in a garden,” she said to her students. “And I get to watch you bloom.”

Moody said the award belonged to the entire school, not just to her.

“I think this is really about all of us; it’s not about me,” Moody said. “I couldn’t do this without the school.”

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