Barnes & Noble Names Massachusetts Educator Christopher Donovan 2019 Winner of “My Favorite Teacher Contest” and “Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year”

Educator and Ayer Shirley Regional High School Awarded $10,000 to
Split

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest retail
bookseller, named Christopher Donovan from Ayer Shirley Regional High
School in Ayer, Massachusetts, the 2019 winner of the national My
Favorite Teacher Contest, earning him the title of Barnes & Noble
National Teacher of the Year. Nominated by his former student,
Brooklynne Mitchell-Arno, Mr. Donovan was chosen out of thousands of
entries from students around the country.

“We are committed to recognizing educators for their important work all
year round, and this contest gives us a chance to hear from students
around the country about the teachers that make a difference in their
lives,” said Tracy Vidakovich, Vice President, Business Development for
Barnes & Noble. “This year, we are pleased to present the Barnes & Noble
National Teacher of the Year award to Mr. Christopher Donovan, whose
skill and passion for teaching is reflected in Brooklynne
Mitchell-Arno’s heartfelt essay.”

From February 2019 to March 2019, Barnes & Noble invited students to
nominate their favorite teacher by writing essays, poems or thank you
letters detailing how much their teachers have impacted their lives and
why they appreciate them. Entries were accepted online at BN.com, and
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. Only high school students 14 or older at the time of entry
and active teachers employed by elementary, middle or high schools in
the United States were eligible for the award.

Barnes & Noble and school officials presented Mr. Donovan with his award
at a special ceremony at Ayer Shirley Regional High School on May 14. At
the ceremony, Mr. Donovan received $5,000, and Ayer Shirley Regional
High School received $5,000. The nominating student, Brooklynne
Mitchell-Arno, received a certificate of recognition and a $100 Barnes &
Noble gift card during the ceremony.

In her nominating essay, Brooklynne wrote, “Walking into the halls of
Ayer Shirley Regional High School during my freshman year was
intimidating to say the least. Wide-eyed and trembling, and afraid of
what my future held, [Mr. Donovan] steadied me … Without [his] constant
guidance, I would not be the person I am, and the person I am going to
be.”

Mr. Donovan said, “It is a true honor to be acknowledged by Barnes &
Noble for this award. I especially want to thank Brooklynne for her
heartfelt nomination, as well as the support of the students and my
colleagues at Ayer Shirley Regional High School.”

“Mr. Donovan is an example of just one of the many great teachers in
this school district, and we’re so proud of him as well as Brooklynne
for receiving this award from Barnes & Noble,” said Dr. Mary Malone,
superintendent of Ayer Shirley Regional School District.

Barnes & Noble continuously displays its appreciation for educators
through its Educator
Membership Program with everyday discounts, Educator Appreciation
Days throughout the year, personalized service, in-store events,
bookfairs, store tours for students and teachers and, since 2010,
through the My Favorite Teacher Contest.

To learn more about Barnes & Noble’s My Favorite Teacher contest,
customers should speak with a knowledgeable bookseller, or visit www.BN.com/myfavoriteteacher.

About the Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Program

The Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher program provides high school
students with the opportunity to tell their communities how much they
appreciate their teachers. Teachers from Grades K-12 are eligible for
nomination. Details on the contest rules can be found at www.bn.com/myfavoriteteacher.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is the world’s largest retail
bookseller, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and
educational products. The Company operates 627 Barnes & Noble bookstores
in 50 states, and one of the Web’s premier e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). The
Nook Digital business offers a lineup of popular NOOK^®
tablets and eReaders and an expansive collection of digital reading and
entertainment content through the NOOK Store^®. The NOOK Store
(www.nook.com)
features digital books, periodicals and comics, and offers the ability
to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through Free
NOOK Reading Apps^™ available for Android^™, iOS^®
and Windows^®.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting
the Company’s corporate website at www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

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and Barnes & Noble.com^® are trademarks of Barnes & Noble,
Inc. or its affiliates. NOOK^® and the NOOK logos are
trademarks of Nook Digital, LLC or its affiliates.

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Contacts

Mary Ellen Keating
Senior Vice President
Corporate
Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Alex
Ortolani
Director
Corporate Communications
Barnes &
Noble, Inc.
212-633-3379
aortolani@bn.com