Rotary club celebrates teachers
At its seventh annual Celebration of Teaching Awards dinner last night, the Rotary Club of Lowell awarded $500 each to the top three teachers of the year: Judith Conners from the Lincoln Elementary School, Patty Manning from the Bartlett Community Partnership School, and Michelle Richiotte from Lowell High School. The club chose the three winners, who represent excellence in teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels, from 25 candidates nominated by their peers–a group of nearly 1,200 full-time teachers from across the district.
As the nominees were announced and their qualifications read to the crowd of 500 people, each school cheered loudly for its candidate—some more wildly than others. For instance, the Shaughnessy displayed support for their candidate by waving multi-colored pom poms and the McAvinnue belted out an original, rhyming cheer. The best parts of all, though, were the written comments by elementary children in support of their teachers: One student wrote: “Mrs. Goes is a good teacher because she makes me learn a lot of things. She makes me learn so much that it can’t all fit in my head.” Another student wrote: “I have not known you for a very long time, but for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a very good teacher.” My favorite was from a Varnum School student: “Mrs. Rizzo is nice and she doesn’t yell. She is smart too. Teachers are usually smart, but she is especially smart!” In addition to the teachers’ awards, the Rotary Club gives out $10,000 in student scholarships annually. The 25 teachers honored to be nominated by their colleagues this year were Ann Marie Enos from the Bailey School; Patty Manning from the Bartlett Community Partnership School; Mary Trombley from the Butler School; Donna Semekis from the Daley Middle School; Judith Conners from the Lincoln School; Denise O’Connor, Gail Green, Michelle Richiotte and Stephanie Donahue from Lowell High School; Marcia Flemings from the McAuliffe School; Susan Croteau Pella from the McAvinnue School; Margarida Goes from the Moody School; Sherryl Shepherd from the Murkland School; Margaret Dorr from the Pawtucketville Memorial School; Brenda Amlaski and Jacqui Miller from the Pyne Arts Magnet School; Carol Cantara from the Reilly School; Ellen Leahy from the Robinson Middle School; Elma Vaidya from the Rogers School; Karen Cayer from the Shaughnessy School; Joanne Hatem from the Stoklosa Middle School; Kathy Hazen Downey from the Sullivan Middle School; Jane Rizzo from the Varnum School; Jolane Roy from the Wang Middle School; and Suzanne Neal from the Washington School.
In recognition of these teachers, the Rotary Club states: “At perhaps no previous time in the history of our country is it more important for working people to be educated in order to receive a living wage. In this context, it is important for the public to appreciate the vital role played by educators and to recognize those teachers who perform that role with excellence. The individuals above were nominated by their peers in recognition of their ability and dedication to a standard of excellence in the classroom. On behalf of the communities served by these individuals and in particular the children who learn from them every day, the Rotary Club of Lowell expresses its thanks for a job well done and wishes the nominees continued success in the future!”