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Date: 4/18/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards program honors Western Massachusetts educators who make a difference in peoples’ lives and their communities.
This year, West Springfield is honoring veteran teachers Josh Florence of West Springfield High School, Adair Rivest of John Ashley Kindergarten, Melissa Duquette of Memorial School and Susan Gerardi of Mittineague School, and new teacher Heather Matys of West Springfield Middle School.
“Each recipient exemplifies what it means to be an educator in West Springfield,” said interim Assistant Superintendent Neil Gile. “This sentiment was captured beautifully by their peers who nominated the recipients for the award. We have many exceptional educators, and selecting a small number annually is always a challenge because so many deserve this award and acknowledgment.”
Susan Gerardi is a first-grade teacher at Mittineague School and has been there for 35 years. She runs the Boys & Girls Club program at the school, is a member of the pilot reading committee, secretary for the West Springfield Education Association and teacher representative for the Parent-Teacher Organization. She was also a member of the accelerated road map committee and Mittineague’s Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support team.
Principal Mike Atkins said, “Every day, she is at school by 6:15 preparing for the day with the same enthusiasm as the first day of school. She puts on a show all day, every day, to keep her students engaged. People stop by her room just to see what magic she has to get her students engaged and learning. … When I think of teaching excellence, there are many facets to it. Sue not only checks all the boxes, she exemplifies them. I am thrilled Mrs. Gerardi is being honored for her commitment, work ethic, compassion, and excellence.”
Gerardi was cited for starting new curricula and researching activities to improve students’ physical and mental health, as well as forming personal connections with students and families.
“I love teaching,” Gerardi said. “I don’t do it for the accolades, necessarily, but to have my colleagues pick me out as being an excellent teacher is the biggest takeaway for me. For them to take the time to go through the process to see something in me they thought was worth taking up their time to write about. This is a very humbling experience to be not only nominated, but actually receiving the award.”
Josh Florence is a 10th grade English teacher at West Springfield High School and oversees the school newspaper. This is his first year as a high school teacher, though he’s been in a classroom for the past 10 years.
“I was surprised. It’s nice to be recognized,” Florence said. “If I could have it my way, I’d share this award with every teacher in the school. The teachers that helped me my first couple of months here made me feel comfortable and gave me the ability to do what I do on a daily basis.”
Florence started out as a paraprofessional in Hadley, working one-on-one with a student with special needs, then moved into a long-term substitute teacher position where he taught middle school science. Florence wanted to make the switch from science to English, and one of his friends working in West Springfield told him of a spot opening at the high school.
“I’ve been teaching seventh grade for seven years, so to jump to 10th grade was definitely different,” said Florence. “The students are at a different level developmentally, socially and academically. I had to step back a bit and see how they functioned independently, in groups, with different learning styles and lessons that I teach, so I got to see what each class was like and adapt accordingly.”
He went on to say, “Each class is their own little community, so I tailor my lessons to what I think each class will respond best to. I make sure I get on the student’s level and get to know each student in a certain capacity. I truly care about them and their interests, we have this common bond that establishes that relationship, so there is a mutual understanding and mutual respect for each other.”
Florence’s goal as a first-year high school teacher is to master the curriculum and to create some meaningful, fun, engaging lessons. His goal in the high school down the road is to find more ways to celebrate the diversity here in West Springfield and find ways to adapt the curriculum to be more inclusive to the population they have there.”
“I want all of my students to leave my class asking more questions about the world,” Florence responded. “I want them to become inquisitive and think for themselves and use literature and the power of the English language to aid them.”
Melissa Duquette is a second grade teacher at Memorial School, and has been there since 2015. In addition to teaching, she works as a teacher liaison to the PTO, School Council, Instructional Support Team, and as a union representative.
“I was honored and humbled,” Duquette said. “I’ve been a teacher for 16 years. It’s a very rewarding, but difficult job at times. I really enjoy what I do with the students day in and day out so it was very nice to be recognized and I was very happy.”
Principal Donna Calabrese stated, “Melissa is the type of teacher that students, colleagues, and principals dream about. She is open-minded, innovative, collaborative, empathetic and extremely effective in reaching all learners. Her dedication to her profession is evident in her willingness to participate in grant opportunities, volunteer her time on multiple teams and committees and assume a strong role in the PTO.”
She continued, “Melissa is always willing to share her materials, thoughts, and behavioral strategies with colleagues because she believes that regardless of grade level, all students are members of our uplifting, collaborative and supportive school community.”
Duquette told Reminder Publishing receiving the award has been rewarding both as a professional and as a mother. Her students were very excited for her when she received the award, and it brought a lot of joy to their classroom. Her own children were also excited and proud. It shows her children that if they work hard, they can reach whatever goal they set for themselves, and they can be recognized for that hard work. It also shows them to never give up on what they’re doing, she said.
“I want to continue inspiring students,” Duquette said. “I want them to know that no matter what their background or what they bring to the table, they are capable of success in many different forms.”
Adair Rivest has been a kindergarten teacher for 19 years and this is her second year at John Ashley Kindergarten. She’s always willing to help and support the students, teachers and staff, according to the award announcement, along with developing positive relationships with her families. This year, Rivest is a part of the Early Grades Literacy Grant and is piloting the new DIBELS Amplify Program. With the new literacy curriculum, she has provided strategies and suggestions to further support her colleagues.
Heather Matys is a seventh grade science teacher at West Springfield Middle School. This her first year teaching; she had been an EMT for the past five years. She decided to go back to school and get her degree in teaching and biology from Smith College, which she completed just 11 months ago.
“It feels absolutely incredible,” Matys said. “This is the first year I’m teaching and to have this award I can’t even describe the feeling.”
Matys always wanted to be a teacher. She used to set up her stuffed animals and pretend she was teaching them, making “worksheets” from her parents’ printer paper and staples.
“Teaching is something I’ve always wanted to do. It just took me a little longer to get there,” Matys said. “I bring a lot of enthusiasm. I love all aspects of science. I like focusing on hands-on work as much as possible. Science can be brought to life when you use your hands; doing experiments and getting messy.”
She doesn’t expect all her students to enjoy science as much as she does, but tries to have them understand the impact they can have on the world.
“It starts in the classroom, it starts at their age, and they can be scientists at seventh grade levels if they think about the world in the way that a scientist might,” Matys explained.
She said her long-range goal is to earn a Ph.D. in science.
Matys said, “To be able to follow my dream and be in the classroom where I’m helping students realize their potential and get them interested in science is super rewarding,”
The banquet for the awards takes place on Wednesday, May 3 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.