Barnes & Noble Names Jason Zembuch Young 2020 Winner of the My Favorite Teacher Contest

Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world’s largest retail bookseller, named Jason Zembuch Young of the South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida, the 2020 national winner of Barnes & Noble’s My Favorite Teacher Contest. Mr. Zembuch Young was nominated by his former student, Chase Dietrich, and was chosen from thousands of entries nationwide.
 
In February 2020, Barnes & Noble invited students to nominate their favorite teacher by writing essays, poems or thank you letters that shared how their teacher influenced them. Entries were judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation and the quality of expression and writing. This year’s winner, Mr. Zembuch Young, received $5,000 for winning this year’s award, and another $5,000 was given to the South Plantation High School where he teaches.

“The Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher contest is a chance to hear from students around the country about the teachers that changed their lives, and award an exemplary teacher and school for their work,” said Tracy Vidakovich, Vice President, Business Development for Barnes & Noble. “This year, we are pleased to award the My Favorite Teacher award to Mr. Jason Zembuch Young, whose commitment to his students through theater and the arts is reflected in Chase Dietrich’s inspiring essay.”
 
Chase Dietrich, who wrote the winning essay, praised Mr. Zembuch Young for including all students at the school through his theater program by performing all productions in American Sign Language. “Mr. Zembuch Young not only taught me about the arts, which I will be pursuing in college, he has taught me how to speak up and champion for those less fortunate,” Chase wrote.
 
“I became a teacher because I wanted to give young people something I desperately needed when I was their age:  an advocate who always sees potential for more, regardless of one’s situation, and pushes others to become their better selves,” Mr. Zembuch Young said. “The fact that Chase sees me as someone who has done that for him means more to me than anything! Thank you Chase for allowing me to be such an integral part of your life and thank you Barnes & Noble for making sure that educators feel valued.”
You can find out more about Mr. Zembuch Young and Barnes & Noble’s My Favorite Teacher contest at www.bn.com/myfavoriteteacher.
 
Barnes & Noble celebrates educators all year long through its Educator Membership program, including 20% off purchases. Interested educators can sign up in stores or online at: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/h/bn-educators.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The Company operates 627 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, as well as the Nook Digital business and one of the Web’s premier e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be found on the Company’s corporate website at www.barnesandnobleinc.com.