When I sat down with Matt Donoho, I quickly discovered that, for him, being named Salem Community High School’s 2025 Teacher of the Year is both an honor and an uneasy spotlight. “It’s not something I enjoy talking about,” he admitted. “That does not mean I do not appreciate it as one of the biggest moments of my life.”

Donoho, who teaches English along with broadcast and digital communications, is quick to credit others for his success. During his interview, the phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants” came up—an quote often attributed to Isaac Newton about building on the work of those before you. Donoho said it captured exactly what he had been thinking. “As long as everyone in this building knows that it’s because of them, and not just me—that’s what matters,” he explained.

The path to the classroom was always in his heart, but it was shaped by mentors along the way. Chief among them was the now-retired Sheila Baldrige, a Salem teacher and student council sponsor during Donoho’s senior year. “She treated every kid with respect and care,” he recalled. “Not every teacher I had did that, though most did. But Sheila went above and beyond. She didn’t turn hurting people away. She saw each student as an individual human being, and I wanted to be a teacher like that.”

Donoho carried that lesson forward, striving to make students feel heard and valued. “It’s not just listening—it’s making sure students know you’re listening,” he explained. “That’s where trust is built.” He points to the culture at Salem Community High School as reinforcing that approach. “It’s not just me. Everyone here cares about kids. That’s what makes this place special.”

His gratitude extends to the administrators and colleagues who shaped his journey. He mentions Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering, Principal Clint Wolfe, and retired Principal John Boles as influences who modeled support and compassion. “From the time I started here, they’ve been understanding and encouraging. The recognition is every bit as much theirs as it is mine.”

Family support has also been central. Married for 26 years, Donoho and his wife—who works as a cosmetologist in town—raised three children in Salem. Their oldest daughter is now a teacher at Raccoon Grade School and engaged to a band director. One twin is pursuing English with dreams of writing and editing, while the other is newly licensed as a nurse. Donoho credits his parents as well, remembering how his father rearranged his work as a Little Debbie Snack Cakes sales rep and his mother adjusted her schedule at the local clinic to help when Donoho returned to school for his master’s degree while raising a young family.

The award itself, given through a process involving the administration, faculty association, and the Salem Education Foundation, carries meaning not just for Donoho but for the entire school. “It lets the community recognize someone, but really it’s about honoring the collective,” he said. At home, an engraved clock marking the award and a novelty Academy Award from his children that reads “Girl Dad” rest easy in the service of that symbolism.

For a man who once directed plays at Salem Community High School and now teaches English and communications, stories come naturally. Yet telling his own is difficult. He insists others are more deserving and hopes their names will be called in the years ahead. Still, he acknowledges the pride he feels walking into school each day and seeing his photo displayed among past honorees. “It fills my heart with pride to be up there with some of Salem Community High School’s greats,” he admitted.

In the end, Donoho views the Teacher of the Year award not as a personal victory but as a reflection of a community that raised him, taught him, and now works alongside him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” he said. “But I know it matters—because it represents all of us.”