Millville teacher honored
BLACKSTONE – Kathy Boisvert, a pre-kindergarten teacher at the Millville Elementary School and a finalist for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, was honored by state and local education officials Thursday at a Statehouse ceremony recognizing Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Cara Pekarcik and other recipients of the Commonwealth’s top honors for educators.
“We are proud of the work Dr. Boisvert does for our students each day and congratulate her on this recognition,” said Blackstone-Millville Regional Schools Supt. Allen Himmelberger.
Boisvert was one of five finalists honored with an official citation from the state, which also included Martha M. Boisselle, who teaches English language learners at Brighton High School in Boston; Sarah Foster, a special education teacher at Laura Lee Therapeutic Day School in Lowell; and Todd Paul Kefor, an English teacher at Norton High School; and Brian A. Sheehan, a music teacher at Salemwood School in Malden.
There were also three semifinalists honored, including Lisa Brown, a special education teacher at Nauset Regional High School in Eastham; Jasmin DiRusso, a second grade teacher at the Martin E. Young School in Randolph; and Calla Freeman, a kindergarten teacher at the William M. Trotter Innovation School in Boston.
“The teachers recognized today are among the very best the Commonwealth has to offer and a driving force for why Massachusetts leads the country in education,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “Lieutenant Governor Polito and I are grateful for all they and
their colleagues do on a daily basis to strengthen our schools and prepare our students for success.”
The ceremony at the State House included remarks by Sydney Chaffee of Codman Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester. Chaffee is the 2017 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and the 2017 National Teacher of the Year. The 2017 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year and the Massachusetts finalists for the 2016 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching were also recognized.
The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program recognizes excellence in teaching across the Commonwealth by selecting a teacher who exemplifies the dedication, commitment and positive contributions of educators statewide. The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year is automatically the state’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
“It’s an honor to recognize the hard work of these teachers and their dedication to the students of the Commonwealth,” Education Secretary James Peyser said. “I am grateful to each for the creativity and commitment they bring to their classrooms.”
“The teachers we recognize today are impressive for their dedication to serving all students and for their commitment to learning and growing as educators,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester. “It’s a pleasure to honor them and the many other teachers they represent.”
Last year, Boisvert was named the Council for Exceptional Children’s 2016 Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year for her volunteer work with the HOPE Foundation for Autism Awareness last year to promote autism awareness and help build autism-modeled classrooms in the Turks and Caicos Islands, an archipelago of 40 low-lying coral islands southeast of the Bahamas.
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is an international community of professionals who are the voice and vision of special and gifted education. The group’s mission is to improve, through excellence and advocacy, the education and quality of life for children and youth with exceptionalities and to enhance the engagement of their families.
The CEC Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award recognizes a CEC member (teacher or related service provider) who currently provides direct services to stu- dents with exceptionalities.
Boisvert was nominated for the award by her colleagues with the HOPE Foundation for Autism Awareness, a non-profit foundation that provide awareness to the community, support to parents and teachers and hope to families and children affected by autism in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Boisvert, a volunteer educational consultant for the organization, helped build the first-ever autism modeled classroom at the Mills Institute Primary School in Providenciales, which covers an area of 38 miles and is the most developed island in Turks and Caicos.
The new classroom will help support children with autism through individual educational plans, center based learning, and social skills programs.
Boisvert was introduced to the HOPE Foundation for Autism Awareness by Dr. Grace Lappin, an educational consultant and member of the organization’s board of directors. Boisvert and Lappin were working on their doctorates at Columbia University when Lappin encouraged her to come to the island for a one-day conference.
Boisvert never looked back.
She has visited several times, volunteering her time during the summers working with families in the community and helping out in the autism-modeled classroom she helped design and build. The classroom different from most of the classrooms there and special consideration was given to lighting needs, location of fans and other environmental requirements.