[ Originally published on: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 ]
GREENFIELD A guidance counselor, floor leader and two teachers have been honored for their hard work and dedication to the Greenfield Public Schools.Siobhan Fitzgerald, Jason Schneider, Barbara Weber and Kimberly Herlihy are four of 144 teachers and other school employees in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties who have been selected to receive an Excellence in Teaching Award.
Interim Superintendent Susan Hollins released the names of the four recipients.
Siobhan Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald is a guidance counselor at the high school.
After the layoffs last year, Hollins said in a statement, there was only one guidance counselor at the high school.
She was expecting a child and late in her pregnancy by mid-summer. Even so, when a superintendent was hired and the schools tried to prepare to open, she devoted her time hand-scheduling every student in the high school during the latter part of the summer without even requesting additional payment, said Hollins.
With so many teachers laid off, the entire schedule was changed. Courses were eliminated. Every single student had to be rescheduled for the high school to open.
Without her efforts, the high school would not have opened this year and she has distinguished herself as a dedicated, professional educator truly invested in her school and communitys success, said Hollins.
Jason Schneider
Schneider is a floor leader at the middle school, whose responsibilities include discipline, guidance and monitoring. He was previously a teacher at the middle school.
When a new superintendent was hired for July 1st, Jason was the first teacher to make contact, said the statement from Hollins.
He insisted on giving up his July Fourth weekend to provide assistance explaining the school district, showing how the city was organized, and even helping to clean and organize the superintendents office.
Jason Schneider has distinguished himself as a teacher leader, supporting positive change at the middle school during uncertain times and fostering excellent outcomes.
Barbara Weber
Weber is a teacher in the Autism Learning Program and Supports (ALPS) at Federal Street School.
With so many new staff in the special education department and a new special education administrator this year, Barbara provided insight and suggestions all during the year, helping to clarify the history of the department and the need for various types of support services, particularly for students with autism spectrum syndrome, said Hollins.
According to Hollins, Weber is volunteering to relocate her program to the re-opened Four Corners school next year.
Kimberly Herlihy
Herlihy is a teacher at Newton School.
At the end of the last school year, she was one of dozens of teachers laid off with no position in sight.
She had never taught a mainstream classroom but had been a teacher working with individual students or small groups in the Title I program, said Hollins.
When the opportunity for a first year assignment was available through recall provisions just days before school opened, she not only jumped at the opportunity to take a completely different and new type of teaching position, but completely organized a classroom to be a functioning and excellent learning center in just a few days, she added.
The four will be honored at a celebration that will be held on May 14 at the Log Cabin & Meeting House in Holyoke.
Each honored teacher will receive two tickets to the celebration, a check for $600, an engraved plaque, a membership to a local YMCA for three months, a gift certificate from Westfield State College to be used for graduate/undergraduate work or a workshop, an invitation from WGBY to take an online course with credit from Westfield State College, a letter of commendation from the governor and other gifts.
This is the seventh year for this program honoring teachers. About 900 teachers will have been honored over seven years.