Each year, Barnes and Noble asks students to stop and reflect upon their education thus far, and to think about those who have impacted it most.

The annual Barnes and Noble My Favorite Teacher contest is open to middle and high school students, and allows them to remember the teachers who have influenced them and be able to say thanks.

The contest first originated in Rhode Island, according to Katie Rendine, community business development manager for Barnes and Noble Warwick.

“Because it was created in Rhode Island, it’s very near and dear to our heart,” she said. “Corporate thought it was such a great program, they decided to take it and run it nationally.”

With the entry period under way now, secondary students have until March 1 to do their reflecting, and to put their thoughts in writing.

“This is a chance for students to articulate how a teacher has had an affect on them personally or educationally,” Rendine said. “There are many programs where teachers can be recognized, many times it’s by the Department of Education or by other adults, but this program gives students solely the chance to have a voice.”

Entries must be 500 words or less, typed in English, and they can be in a variety of formats.

“It can be a story, an essay, a poem, or a thank you letter. It just needs to tell the story,” Rendine said. “It should describe the qualities of this teacher and the reasons why he or she has had such a profound effect on a student.”

Reading the essays and announcing the local winners is a part of Rendine’s job that she truly loves.

“In the past years I have been fascinated to see how Mary Lou Bettez, the 2013 winner from Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School in Coventry, was able to connect students to their community and their world through literacy, or how Marc Brocato, the 2014 winner from East Greenwich High School, was able to inspire his English students,” she said. “Last year’s winner was Dr. Caroline Savery, a chemistry teacher at Warwick Vets High School, and she was amazing. They’re all so inspiring, many times I am really trying to hold back the tears as I read about the immense talent, the caring nature of teachers every day for our students.”

Each year, the top three local winners are honored at a ceremonial event at the Warwick Barnes and Noble store, usually hosted by Will Gilbert of “The Rhode Show” with the family and friends of both the teachers and their students present in the audience along with the media and other members of the community. Teachers and students each receive gifts from Barnes and Noble in recognition of their winning entries.

This year there will be a new twist to the contest, with the addition of some local Rhode Island celebrity judges as well.

Once the local winners have been chosen and recognized, they are then entered into the regional contest and have the chance to win a $500 Barnes and Noble gift card, as well as the opportunity to be named the Barnes and Noble National Teacher of the Year.

The national winner will be honored in a ceremony at their local Barnes and Noble store and will receive a $5,000 cash prize, as well as their school receiving a $5,000 cash prize. The national student winner will receive a $500 Barnes and Noble gift card and a Nook device.

“Our world is very quick, very hurried, and we often forget that we mean to say thank you,” Rendine said. “Kids have a lot on their plates and they often forget to say ‘thank you.’ This provides them with another opportunity to do so. These teachers, they are our everyday heroes, and they spend a large majority of time with our students, developing the skills in them that they need for life. We need to be able to say ‘thank you’ to them.”

The Barnes and Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest is open from now until March 1. The contest is open to all public, private, and home-schooled students. The entry form is available in both English and Spanish and can be found at barnesandnoble.com/h/my-favorite-teacher.