HERSHEY — An 11th-grade English teacher from northwestern Pennsylvania is the state’s 2013 Teacher of the Year.

Ryan Devlin of Brockway Area Junior-Senior High School in Jefferson County was presented the award Tuesday by state Education Secretary Ron Tomalis in a ceremony to recognize excellence in education.

Devlin said in a brief acceptance speech that teachers must continually adapt to change, but the goal of producing well-educated, motivated students remains constant.

“We want to create students that are as innovative as Steve Jobs, as determined as Michael Jordan, as brave as Rosa Parks, as creative as Walt Whitman, as efficient as Henry Ford, as passionate as Oprah Winfrey and as kind as Mister Rogers,” he said.