Chicopee teachers honored
Date: 3/28/2012
March 2012By G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.comCHICOPEE — Nine of the city's public school teachers were selected this year as recipients of the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards.
School Superintendent Richard Rege made the announcement at a recent School Committee meeting and praised the recognized teachers. Rege had personally notified the teachers who had been selected with a surprise visit to their classrooms on March 7.
The honorees include Carol Kruser of Chicopee High School; Diane Evans of Belcher School; Norman Boucher of Chicopee Comprehensive High School; Arielle L. Perry of Sgt. Robert R. Litwin School; Deana R. Kiczek of Edward Bellamy Middle School; Kristina Skaza of Hugh Scott Streiber School; Nicole Wassell of District-Wide K-12; Julie Skala of Patrick E. Bowe School; and Amanda Lynne Theriault of Edward Bellamy Middle School.
The annual recognition of teachers started in 2002 with 16 participating schools. The program now is in 40 school districts and has honored 149 educators this year.
The Chicopee teachers will be formally recognized on April 26 at 6 p.m. at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. The master of ceremonies for the evening will be Kathy Tobin, director of Development at Friends of the Homeless in Springfield. The Sabis International Gospel Choir of Springfield will be performing for the event.
Each teacher will receive two tickets to the event, $500, an engraved plaque, a corsage, pictures of the event, a three-month membership to a local YMCA, grants for course offerings by Channel 57, Bay Path College, Westfield State University (WSU), Western New England University (WNE), and Springfield College, among other gifts.
In Hampden County, the teaching awards are sponsored by Bay Path College, The Beveridge Family Foundation, Channel 22, Channel 40, The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, The Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, Langones Florist, The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, Mass Mutual Financial Group, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, Reminder Publications, Southworth Paper Company, Springfield College, Springfield Republican, STCU Credit Union, United Way of the Pioneer Valley, WNE, WSU, WGBY Channel 57 and the local YMCAs of the Pioneer Valley.
