Chicopee Educators honored with Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching awards

March 30, 2021 | Carolyn Noel
cnoel@thereminder.com

Eight teachers in the Chicopee School system were honored with the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation’s Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching awards for the 2020–2021 school year.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

CHICOPEE –  Eight teachers in the Chicopee School System were honored with the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation’s Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching awards for the 2020 to 2021 school year. The awards are given to teachers who excel in areas such as professionalism, excellence in teaching practices, community outreach related to education, and enthusiasm for the teaching profession.

Chicopee’s winners were Allyson Ramondetta, Jamie Morgado, Dawn Amell, Joaquin Bello, Julie Boucher, Shaina Merrick, Amy White and Ericka Blais.

The eight awards were handed out over the course of two days. Superintendent Lynn A. Clark coordinated giving the awards out with each respective teacher’s principal. The teachers were unaware that they would be receiving the awards.

“I didn’t have any idea at all,” said Allyson Ramondetta. “I don’t think I even really grasped what happened when they were there. It kind of all fell on me that it was the Grinspoon Award and my kids were all cheering and so excited. They made it, I think, better than anything else.”

Ramondetta won the New Teacher Award, which recognizes promising educators with less than three years experience. She teaches third grade at Barry Elementary School and, although this is her first year teaching, she has been working in schools for over five years. Ramondetta started her career working in Speech Pathology before deciding to switch to teaching.

Although Ramondetta began teaching in a year filled with new challenges due to COVID-19, she said she still feels incredibly supported and lucky.

“I’m so incredibly lucky. Although this year has been crazy, I have the best students and I think I have probably one of the best principals to work for. She’s been such a great help and I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been so successful,” she said. “We’re all in this together, so I feel like that’s what’s been so great for me coming in this year. While it’s been overwhelming at times, we’re all learning as we go along and finding out what’s working and what’s not working. I almost feel like I’m on an even playing field with all my peers this year, which has been awesome.”

Each teacher honored with the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching award was given a certificate and letter of recognition. They will also be honored at a Virtual Celebration for Excellence in Teaching Award Winners in Hampden West on May 11, 2021. This will honor each teacher individually, give them a plaque and a check for $250.

To win this award, teachers must be nominated by principals, administrators and other educators in each school. A committee of volunteers then votes on who will receive the awards. Clark said she was part of the voting process this year.

“They’re people who go above and beyond to show individual care for students and they’re people who are dedicated. Some of them run clubs after school or really try to connect in other ways with students as well,” she said of the chosen winners.

Amy White is a fourth grade teacher at Stefanik School. She said the past year has been challenging teaching with COVID-19, but she has never wanted to give up.

“I don’t think I ever wanted to give up because that’s not who I am as a person. I feel like in this career, teaching especially, you have to kind of roll with the punches. If there’s some kind of change that happens, you have to be willing to be okay with change. So I think I learned that throughout my 17 years of teaching,” said White. “Teaching isn’t always gonna be the same and I feel like I have to be there for the kids. I feel that they need me as their role model and as someone who cares and I would never give up on them.”

White said receiving this award made her feel recognized and appreciated.

“It’s really nice to be recognized for going above and beyond. I put my heart and soul into teaching and I love my job and I do a lot of things – I run our Student Council, after school programs. I feel like to be recognized for doing my job and going above and beyond was really nice to have,” she said.

Shaina Merrick is a Special Education teacher at Litwin Elementary School. She works in a self-contained class of moderate-needs students. She said receiving this award is inspiring and serves as a good motivator for teachers.

“I thought it was inspiring. It’s nice to know that all of that effort that I’m putting into it is making a difference and it makes me want to continue to make that difference as well,” she said. “It’s a good motivator for teachers, something to keep working towards and to use to keep them putting in that effort within their classroom as well.”

Merrick has been teaching remotely this past year due to the pandemic, which she said has been a struggle at times given the kids she works with.

“It’s definitely been an interesting year. I’m teaching remotely and I’m teaching the special needs group, so it’s been a challenge trying to get those students to stay engaged while they are online learning with the distraction of their home as well. So I’ve learned a lot that I didn’t know about the computer and I’m kind of taking it as a learning experience as well as a new challenge,” she said.

Julie Boucher is also a Special Education Teacher at Chicopee High School. She works in the Intensive Autism Program. She said she was blown away that she received this award and feels so much gratitude for it.

“It’s a really prestigious award and the colleagues that I’ve had that have gotten it here I really respect and admire and so to be even considered to be in the same company, I’m just so honored. I feel so lucky and really grateful that my colleagues and my administration have picked this for me. That they are aware of the skills and everything that happens in my classroom and the kind of kids that I work with… it’s just such an honor. I feel so much gratitude that I was recognized for this,” said Boucher.

During the past year, Boucher said that teachers have had to pivot, multitask and learn to adapt with COVID-19. Despite the struggles the pandemic has caused, she said she knows that Chicopee has come out stronger than ever.

“I feel like if we made it through this as a district, then we can pretty much make it through anything,” she said.

Clark said that with the year teachers have had, these awards were extremely necessary.

“I think they’ve had an extremely trying year and where, typically, we’re used to all seeing these awards given each year through this organization and through the Chicopee Schools, but this year our minds have been elsewhere. Focusing on the positive and knowing they’re appreciated just was really important, she said. “It’s a really great way to highlight and it kind of individualizes for them what being an educator is all about. It’s an honor for them and they should be extremely proud.”

Clark had a message to all winners of the awards.

“We couldn’t thank you more for your dedication to the students and all of the hard work, especially in a year that’s been so trying. Receiving this award should be an honor and we congratulate you and thank you for your dedication to Chicopee,” she said.

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