by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:55 PM ET, Mon May 6, 2019
In an effort to support Teacher Appreciation Week, Norwegian Cruise Line awarded cruises to 30 educators and thousands of dollars to their schools as part of its Giving Joy campaign.
The month-long campaign launched in advance of the newly revitalized Norwegian Joy's North American inaugural sailing during Teacher Appreciation Week between May 6-10. The 30 winning teachers were flown to an award ceremony in Seattle on May 3, which was attended by Norwegian CEO Andy Stuart and radio personality Elvis Duran.
"I could not be happier with the tremendous response our Giving Joy campaign has received," Stuart said in a statement. "Through this effort, we were able to raise awareness of the important work teachers do every day and reward truly amazing educators for their meaningful contributions."
The three grand prize finalists were Nicole Conlisk from New York City, Jason Seaman from Indiana and Ashley Kuzma from Pennsylvania, who were awarded $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 for their schools, respectively.
Conlisk teaches at One World Middle School in the Bronx, which also received additional prize money from Norwegian partners and other companies, totaling $75,500. The grand prize winner walked away with over $100,000 for her school.
"I've been a part of the cruise industry for over 30 years and I can't remember a time when we launched a ship with so much joy," Stuart said. "We have been sailing from Seattle for 20 years - the first cruise line to do so. I am tremendously grateful to the Port of Seattle for our partnership and to Mayor Jenny Durkin for the proclamation of Seattle Day of Joy."
Norwegian Joy will cruise a variety of Alaska itineraries featuring Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Holkham Bay and Icy Strait Point. She will also call into Victoria, British Columbia.
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