"Ms. Megan Gaffney is the embodiment of teaching as an act of love. With the 80-something fifth-graders entrusted to her care, Ms. Gaffney expertly encourages and supports their meaning-making as writers and as readers. Students are honored and feel comfortable bringing their full selves to her classroom. Ms. Gaffney cultivates conditions in which her students are motivated to grow as writers because they know their teacher holds their humanity at the center of all she does and says, and that each student is seen and loved for who they are." ~ Erin Birden
Marian Gleason Award
2020-21
Megan Gaffney
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"Elaine Ivy is an incredible teacher and has been for all her years of teaching. Elaine’s students are given opportunities and experiences most students of similar districts are not, and that is because of her drive to make sure that all her students get opportunities like any other kid." ~ Laura Botero
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"Elaine Ivy is an extraordinary teacher. ... Elaine is one of the most dedicated and compassionate people and teachers I have ever met. Her classroom is a laboratory where introspection, self-awareness, respect and learning brilliantly collide." ~ Tim Stratford
Ann Garland West Award
2020-21
Elaine Ivy
“Matt Goetz strives to make English class more than just a romp through a string of classic texts. He encourages his students to consider broader thematic ideas that are important for all teenagers,” wrote his nominator, Deanne Moore, English Department Chair at Chase Collegiate School in Waterbury, Connecticut. In Matt’s first year at Chase Collegiate, he created a new curriculum for ninth grade that helped students use textual analysis to analyze the world around them as a means of better understanding themselves and their own identity. Matt invited “social justice experts” from the community to engage students and participate in the first Social Justice Summit.
Marian Gleason Award
2019-20
Matt Goetz
“Katy is, quite simply, the best teacher I’ve had the chance to be around,” notes colleague, Ben Railton, Professor of English Studies at Fitchburg State University. Dr. Katharine Covino, professor of English and Secondary English Language Arts Instruction, is noted for “creating a classroom tone that is warm and welcoming, full of humor and engagement, a space where peers meet to talk and think together.” Dr. Covino is noted for her seamless ability to balance a welcoming atmosphere around rigorous scholarly and pedagogical conversation.
Ann Garland West Award
2019-20
Katharine Covino-Poutasse
“Michelle Wnuk is the most skilled and passionate young educator I have encountered in my twenty-eight-year career,” wrote her nominator, Mary Rose Meade. Students adore Michelle. She creates an engaging and rigorous classroom environment where students feel safe in an environment of trust. This allows Michelle to tackle complex and mature texts such as The Hate U Give and The Kite Runner while leading students in discussions and allowing them to express their thoughts and feeling through writing.
Marian Gleason Award
2018-19
Michele Wnuk
“As department chair, Ruth Koenigsbauer is not only an outstanding leader, but an innovative, creative, and inspiring teacher,” noted her colleague Caitlin Barker. “From working with her to plan as well as seeing her teach, it is clear that she is always thinking about what is best for students.” Ruth is known for carefully crafting assessments and activities aimed at improving areas of weakness, while also tapping students’ areas of strength to let them shine.
Ann Garland West Award
2018-19
Ruth Koenigsbauer
