FALMOUTH — Second-grade teacher Kevin Grover, a former Maine Teacher of the Year, died Thanksgiving Day, according to a state Department of Education official.

Grover, 40, taught for 15 years, the last 10 at D.W. Lunt and Falmouth Elementary schools, and was the 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year. DOE spokesman David Connerty-Marin said Grover collapsed after returning home from a run while visiting family in Rangeley.

In a message to School Department staff members, Co-Principals John Flaherty and Karen Boffa said a memorial service is planned for Saturday, Dec. 1, at Falmouth Elementary School. They also said plans will developed for supporting students and staff.

Grover made service-learning a regular part of his students’ school experience, taking them regularly to participate in community service, Gloria Noyes, president of Maine’s Teacher of the Year Association and mentor to Grover the year he won, said Friday.

“Kevin is going to be greatly missed,” Noyes said. “He was someone that was highly regarded in the world of education and left an impact on all of us. It’s a great loss for education and educators in Maine. He made a mark on all his students’ lives.”

Noyes said Grover was a key element in building and inspiring teachers through the Teacher of the Year Association. He started a Speaker’s Bureau within the association, which brought together past recipients of the award to speak at businesses or schools about their expertise, she said.

In school, Grover was a leader in technology and always willing to help inspire other teachers to use it, Noyes said.

“He was a brilliant guy and very creative; he was excellent with technology” she said. “Staff would always go to Kevin for instruction and enhancement of their skills.”

Grover grew up in Greene and graduated from St. Dominic Regional High School in Auburn. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Farmington and a master’s degree from the University of Southern Maine.

From 1996 through 2001, Grover taught first and second grades at Lake Street School in Auburn before moving to the Falmouth schools.

Grover and his wife, Rebecca, have two young children. A telephone call to their home in Falmouth on Friday afternoon was not answered.

Will Graff can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or wgraff@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @W_C_Graff.

FALMOUTH — School administrators are letting students take the lead in dealing with the death of a beloved second-grade teacher and planning for his memorial service.

The service for Kevin Grover, 40, of Falmouth, will be held Saturday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m., at the Falmouth High School gym.

Grover, a second-grade teacher at Falmouth Elementary School and former Maine Teacher of the Year, died Thanksgiving morning in Rangeley after returning from a run.

Karen Boffa, co-principal of Falmouth Elementary, said that student reaction to Grover’s death has been mixed, but the staff has done a great job anticipating their needs and helping them maintain some semblance of a routine.

“The kids know that however they feel or whatever they need, they can do that in their class,” she said. “What we find is kids really want routine. Routines are what help us through these tough times.”

In an effort to maintain a familiar routine, Carol MacNaught, who was Grover’s educational technician and formerly taught second grade, has taken over his class.

In addition to maintaining student routine, the school brought in a councilor from the Center for Grieving Children to speak with students who wanted someone to talk with about Grover’s death.

Grover, who was the 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year, was a leader in service-learning at Falmouth Elementary said Gloria Noyes, president of Maine’s Teacher of Year Association.

“Kevin is going to be greatly missed,” Noyes said. “He was someone that was highly regarded in the world of education and left an impact on all of us. It’s a great loss for education and educators in Maine.”

Noyes said Grover was a key element in building and inspiring teachers through the Teacher of the Year Association. He started a Speaker’s Bureau within the association, which brought together past recipients of the award to speak at businesses or schools about their expertise, she said.

In school, Grover was a leader in technology and always willing to help inspire other teachers to use it, Noyes said.

“He was a brilliant guy and very creative; he was excellent with technology” she said. “Staff would always go to Kevin for instruction and enhancement of their skills.”

Grover grew up in Greene and graduated from St. Dominic Regional High School in Auburn. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Farmington and a master’s degree from the University of Southern Maine.

From 1996 through 2001, Grover taught first and second grades at Lake Street School in Auburn before moving to the Falmouth schools.

Grover is survived by his wife Rebecca; daughter, Lillian; son, Elias; parents Michael and Lianne Grover; brothers Jeffrey Grover and his wife, Julia, Christopher and his wife, Mindy, and a sister, Laura Grover.

Amber Cronin can be reached at acronin@theforecaster.net or 781-3661 ext. 125. Follow her on Twitter @croninamber. Will Graff can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or wgraff@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter @W_C_Graff.

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Second-grade teacher Kevin M. Grover gets a hug at D.W. Lunt School in Falmouth in September 2009, after walking into an assembly where he learned he was named 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year. Grover died Thursday, Nov. 22, in Rangeley.