Teachers Rock Winners!

Thanks to your sea of nominations (over two hundred!) it took us a bit longer than we expected to tally the winners for our Teacher's Rock Campaign.  Today, I'm happy to announce that we have 10 winning teachers.  We were incredibly inspired by all of the nominations and thank everyone for sending them in.  The winning teachers will receive $500 for school supplies from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

And the winners are....

Kathleen Walsh-Malone (Kennedy Longfellow School in Cambridge)

Notes on Kathleen:

• Kathleen received more votes than any other nominee.
• She was heavily supported by employees of Draper labs, who worked with her as part of the Key Pals program

Testimonials:

"[Kathleen] is interested in cultivating student growth in all subjects, not just her area of responsibility. She is collaborative and positive in her approach, with the requisite patience and persistence needed to get results. She is indeed a catalyst for making things happen. Her openness to others motivates them to suggest and try new things. That is, I think, the hallmark of a really good teacher."

"I had the pleasure of participating in the KeyPal program two years in a row.  I was consistently impressed by Kathleen's dedication, hard work and enthusiasm."

"She works diligently to match each student and mentor up so that each pairing meets the requests of the student and volunteer. - especially those students returning to the program for their second year.  This is no easy task given the number of students and volunteers.  Her passion for teaching and the students is evident in every communication sent out.  I often wonder how Kathy can keep track of all the students in the program, let alone all her other students.  Kathy inspires a passion for knowledge and learning and loves what she does.  She is the kind of teacher every child should have at some point in their life because it will never be the same after."

Nora Broderick (South Shore Charter Public School in Norwell)

Testimonials:

"My son now reads FOR FUN!  He makes up math worksheets for himself in his free time.  Nora has made learning challenging for him, but most of all, she has made it rewarding and fun.  Her positive encouragement and gentle critiques have made all the difference.  My son loves waking up in the morning and going to school because of his wonderful, creative, compassionate and caring teacher.  Many thanks to Nora Broderick!!"

"Nora's passion for teaching is remarkable.  She truly wants every one of her students to succeed.  She works tirelessly to achieve that goal.  Her "poetry project" is a favorite among her students and helps them develop a love for the art of poetry that opens up their minds at such a young age.  I think all of her students would agree that NORA ROCKS!!!!"

Melissa Sue McKenzie (Merrimack Special Education Collaborative in Chelmsford)

Testimonials:

"Mrs. Mckenzie was my son's special education teacher for grades K - 3. We had been told by several specialist, and educators that due to my child's sever developmental disabiliteis he would not be able to communicate or funtion above a 12 month old. Mrs. mcKenzie is the only person who believed in my son. She proved he was able to communicate and helped get a Dynavox communication device for him. She got him a wheelchair that he could move on his own. She proved he could learn to read, and do simple addition. Without her as his teacher he would not be where he is today.  She believes in her students."

"She is an extremely caring individual who deals with a special needs population of kids.  She has been involved with my daughter over the past 13 years and has gone above and beyond with advice and knowledge.  She always gives 150%."

Chad Harris ( Umana Middle School)

Testimonials:

"Chad truly cares about his students and is always thinking of ways to keep them engaged in their lessons."

"Chad enjoys and likes teaching Middle School students. As anyone who has ever had children of this age knows that it can be one of the more difficult times. They are not little kids nor high school students. It is easy to get Chad talking about his students and what is going on in the classroom. I have watched him use his summer time to prepare for his classes. Chad is a teacher that is always looking for new and interesting ways to connect with the kids and try to make their assignments come alive for them. I always like to hear him talk about his class and the different ways he connects with them. Chad is someone who in his own way is making a difference in his students world."

Valerie Peterson (Bell School in Marblehead)

Testimonials:

"Valerie Peterson is truly one of the outstanding music education professionals in the field today.  Working tirelessly for the Marblehead school system for over 25 years, Valerie has set the standard in Marblehead for teaching music with passion, ingenuity, and a true connection to her students that enhances their lives and all-around education.  Her strengths in particular are her collaboration skills with other music teachers and classroom teachers, as well as her musicality, which she holds to the highest standards.  As she is retiring this year, Valerie Peterson would be a fantastic choice for this year's teacher that rocks."

Julia Hoffman (South Shore Collaborative in Randolph)

Testimonials:

"Julia has been teaching for the South Shore Collabrative for the past four years. Besides being a loyal teacher to the organization, her fellow staff members as well as her students, Julia has a heart made of gold. She only settles for what is best for her students and nothing else. She is dedicated to her work and leaves out no bit of effort to provide a safe and educational environment for the multiple levels of education she teaches each day. It makes perfect sense as to way Julia landed a teaching job straight out of college with a major in education and a minor in special education; her heart and soul are major attributes that amount to her profession."

Cate Arnold (Boston Latin School)

Testimonials:

"As one of the truly great, motivating teachers, and as advisor for Youth Climate Action Network, she treats students as the socially conscious, intellectually aware young adults they can be."

"Ms. Arnold teaches History. Ms Arnold is fullly committed and fully invested in not only teaching but her kids. She is the force behind BLS Youth CAN (climate action network),  and has kicked off the BLS "green roof" initiative which when fulfilled will be not only a way to save energy but used as a "classroom" and source for food for the school cafeteria."

Sue Pappin (Brook Farm Academy)

Some notes about Sue:

• Nominators all highlighted Sue's strength in working with special education students.

Testimonial:

"Ms. Pappin is a great teacher with all the students she has in the classroom"

Joanne Brennan (North Grafton Elementary)

Testimonials:

"My mother, Joann Brennan, has been a first grade teacher for as long as I can remember. Even after all these years, she still spends hours and hours of extra time trying to make the children's experience in first grade a memorable and rewarding one. Even though the school bell rings at 3pm she is still correcting papers and writing work plans well into the night. Her students continue to send letters and postcards and gifts throughout the years to thank her for being such a great teacher....it is very inspiring! I know my mother is a very special woman who has helped me become a successful young woman, but it is amazing to know that she has also touched hundreds of kid's lives and helped them become excited and engaged about learning."

"She has been a dedicated, encouraging, dependable teacher to hundreds of elementary students for over 25 years. Always a ready smile and warm heart in teaching the students. She is also a team leader for other teachers and has spent many hours volunteering in Parent and Teacher groups, all for bettering children's lives in school and out of school."

Karen McCarthy (Brighton High School)

Testimonials:

"Karen just became a nationally board certified teacher which requires a rigorous series of assessments, observations, and testing.  Only 10% of teachers nationally have this certification and of those that try for it, only 30% pass.  She is a TeachPlus fellow involved in advocacy for public schools throughout the Commonwealth."

"Karen is an extremely dedicated teacher. She is pro-active, regularly engages parents and works tirelessly to assure that her kids (the vast majority are low-income minority students) have the best education possible). She works late into the night-working on curriculum, grading papers and talking to parents (in both english and spanish). She is also Nationally Board Certified which means that she went through a rigorous, labor intensive and competitive evaluation process to achieve the highest degree of accreditation (less than 10% of all teachers nationally hold this distinction)."