Earlier this year, Meagan Caterbone was scrolling through social media when a post caught her eye. It encouraged teachers to apply to become America's Favorite Teacher through a competition sponsored by Reader's Digest and Bill Nye.

"I thought it might be fake, but then I thought it couldn't hurt to apply," recalled the Donegal School District orchestra teacher. "I filled it out thinking, 'This isn't going to go anywhere.'"

She was wrong.

From that initial entry, Meagan kept progressing, round after round, through the contest, which promoted entrants based on the number of votes they earned online from friends and family.

"I kept winning each round, and eventually, my husband shared it to some of the community pages we're part of," Meagan explained. "It felt really weird for me to share the post and say, 'Vote for me,' but I did, and it really started snowballing from there."

By April, Meagan had advanced to the top 10 and then top five in her group.

"I made it to the quarterfinals and then the semifinals," she said. "There was a total of seven rounds to determine the winner, and I made it to the sixth round."

Although Meagan was eventually eliminated from the competition, she's still proud of how far she went.

"It was a great opportunity to talk about Donegal," she said. "I feel like there are a lot of great things happening that people have no idea about, especially in our very small school district. I wanted to shine as much light on Donegal as I could."

She was hoping to bring home the grand prize of $25,000 and a trip to Hawaii.

"It was the idea of the trip to Hawaii that really prompted me to enter," she said. "I've never been on a plane in my life, and this would have been a chance to take a free trip."

She was hoping it could be the honeymoon she and Patrick, her husband of almost 10 years, never had a chance to take.

She also loved the idea of the contest promoting education and providing opportunities for students to explore science. Another prize for the winner was a virtual school assembly with Bill Nye, affectionately known as "The Science Guy."

Meagan, a graduate of Manheim Central High School, Lebanon Valley College and Kent State University, has been teaching since 2011. She's been with Donegal School District since 2014, where she currently instructs students in grades four through 12.

"I really love helping people learn about themselves, especially in my subject area, music," she said. "It gives students a sense of belonging, a creative outlet, being a part of something that is so much bigger than themselves. It teaches grit, perseverance, collaboration. There are so many things wrapped up into music, and I just love being able to share that with kids of all ages."

Meagan comes from a very musical family. When asked what instrument she plays, she didn't hesitate to answer: "All of them." She started playing the piano at age 3 and began learning violin at age 9.

"I was the band director for eight years for Donegal, and I just recently switched to teaching all strings," she said.

When she's not teaching, she enjoys spending time with Patrick and their children, ages 6, 3 and 1, as well as the family dog, Kali.

Reflecting on her experience in the contest, she's happy with how it turned out, even if she didn't win the ultimate prize.

"I never in a million years thought I'd go as far as I did," she said. "There are tons of amazing educators who make a difference for their students day in and day out. I don't really see myself as anyone special."

She emphasizes that she appreciates the support she received from the people who voted for her, and she tried to thank as many people individually as she could.

"I'm so grateful that people felt I deserved some kind of recognition. It really made me feel honored," she said. "I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported me."