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Outstanding Teachers
HGCF launched the Grinspoon awards for Excellence in Teaching in academic year 2002-2003 to honor outstanding teachers in the Pioneer Valley and underscore the critical role that teachers play in preparing youth for the future. The awards have been renamed The Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards as other partners have joined HGCF in sponsoring the program. HGCF undertook this program as a way to support and encourage exceptional professionals.
The program:
- Rewards teachers with a cash award of $600, of which $500 is for her/his personal use and $100 for use in the classroom.
- Gives each teacher a YMCA membership
- Celebrates their accomplishments with a dinner event
- Invites them to participate in technology workshops
- Provides an afternoon in the Berkshires with a picnic and a performance at Jacob’s Pillow
- Provides flowers and other gifts
The Criteria to be a Teacher of Excellence:
- Nominee must be certified by the State of Massachusetts
- Demonstrates professionalism through:
- Excellence in teaching practices
- His/her own professional development
- Good attendance on the job
- His/her demonstration of collaboration and cooperation
- Other areas deemed reasonable by the selection team
- Reaches above and beyond
- Community outreach related to education
- The classroom and school walls
- Volunteer activity – formal and informal related to education
- Respected by peers, students, and parents
- Demonstrates enthusiasm
As a means of ensuring a simplistic process for teacher selection and one that is nonpolitical, each school community decides on the selection process – one that is fair and equitable.
In the 2002-2003 academic school year, 16 school communities took part in the awards program. In each school community, one teacher was honored for every 1000 students, and a first-year teacher was also recognized.
Since that first year of the program the number of school communities has increased to 37 with 145 teachers being honored in 2005-2006. Three large celebrations took place at the Log Cabin and Meeting House in Holyoke, two with Hampden County and one with those school communities in Hampshire and Franklin Counties. Student greeters from a school community welcomed guests to the Log Cabin. Other schools provided choral and band music for those attending.
The following organizations are contributing partners to this growing program: The Davis Foundation, MassMutual Financial Group, the Channing Bete Company, Country Bank, Wright Builders, Southworth Paper Company, Big Y Foods, Yankee Candle Company, and the YMCAs of the Pioneer Valley
The current information for the 2008 Banquets are here.
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