On Wednesday evening, April 29th, Franklin and Hampshire county educational leaders celebrated the thirty-nine local teachers and educators who have been recognized for their excellence in teaching with a Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award, from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Recipients are nominated and chosen within their district based on teaching practices, professional development, good attendance on the job, and enthusiasm for teaching and working with children. The numbers of recipients are based on the overall number of students within the district.

Jessica Pollock, the school librarian at Greenfield High School, and one of this year’s Excellence in Teaching Award recipients, noted that “teachers are often accustomed to doing their work in the background, putting their students in the limelight rather than themselves.  The Grinspoon Foundation has given a truly wonderful gift to our region because acknowledging the important work that educators do is beneficial to both the teachers and communities they serve.  I particularly appreciate that I was given this award as the school librarian…librarians are integral to helping students gain essential research and digital skills that will help them be lifelong learners and savvy users and creators of technology.”

This year’s winners in Franklin and Hampshire Counties are

Amherst-Pelham regional School District – Timothy Austin, Meg Gallagher, Rebecca Herskovitz, Denise O’Donovan, Jennifer Smith, Michael Berg, Maria Scuder

Easthampton Public Schools – Alyse Anderson, Jennifer Eichorn, Joan Schaffer

Erving Schools Union #28 – Benjamin Rubin

Frontier Regional School District – Brian Delaney, Sally Rice

Granby Regional Public Schools – Tracy Mayo, Sarah McNutt

Greenfield Public Schools – Anna Marchefka, Barbara Ouellete, Jessica Pollock, Maria Scotera

Hadley Public Schools – Jason Burns, Joshua Driver

Hampshire Regional School District – Sunday Burke, Sarah Huntington, Patricia Parent

Hatfield Public Schools – Alyssa Charry, Laura Hoey

Northampton Public Schools – Barbara Bitgood, Martha Hopkins, Amaru Pareja, Michele Subocz

Orange & Mahar Regional Schools – Nicole LaFleur, Margaret Lawless

South Hadley School District – Brenda Ewing, Karen Girard, David Pelczarski

Ware Public Schools – Jonathan Brach, Megan Riles, Jane Saletnik

Local coverage of the Grinspoon recipient awards can be found in the following articles:

Hampshire Gazette (Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award Winners in Hampshire County)

The Recorder (Teachers, GCC students lauded for excellence)

The Recorder (2 Orange educators get Pioneer Valley excellence awards)