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Boston schools honor teachers, staff workers

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 21, 2010 10:17 PM

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Staff

Despite cuts in programs and funds at most schools these days, 17 Boston teachers and staffers managed to stand out and were honored for their exceptional work Monday night.

At the annual Boston Educators of the Year and Service Excellence Awards ceremony, new and old educators were recognized for their work in the city's school system.

Educator of the Year honorees included Melanie Allen, who teaches English language arts at the Rafael Hernandez Two-Way Bilingual School in Roxbury, where students are instructed in English and in Spanish. Allen is noted for dressing in period costumes like William Shakespeare to help students understand literature.

She also stands out because all of her students over the past five years have passed the MCAS exam.

“I am so thankful to have worked there these past eight years,” Allen said in an acceptance speech at the Shubert Theatre on Tremont Street, in which she thanked her fellow teachers at the bilingual school.

But it wasn’t just teachers who were honored. Denise Dryden, a paraprofessional at the Henry Dearborn Middle School, was honored for her work, which includes, officials said, solving every imaginable problem that arises. Dryden has worked at the Roxbury school for 42 years.

“Each child that walks though our school is not just a student but a family member and anything that we can do to encourage them and steer them in the right direction, that is what we’re called to do,” Dryden said. “It’s not just about education to me. It’s about nurturing a child so that they can walk out of this building knowing they have a place to come back to.”

The other educator of the year honorees were: Ilsa Bruer, from the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers in The Fenway; Patricia Dervan, from Brighton High School; Cherrita Distant-Hansel, from Nathan Hale Elementary School in Roxbury; Marilou Donnelly, from the Joseph Lee Elementary School in Dorchester; Nancy Lenhart, from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Roxbury; Peter McCaffery, from Boston Arts Academy in the Fenway; Teresa Medeiros, from Emily Fifield Elementary School in Dorchester; Christopher Mee, of Another Course to College in Roxbury; Sherdene Morrison, of Mildred Avenue K-8 School in Mattapan; Evelyn Prophete, of Thomas Kenny Elementary School in Dorchester; and Vickie Robinson, of Mather Elementary School in Dorchester.

Receiving Service Excellence Awards from the school system were: Evelyn Adario, assistant director of Enrollment Planning and Support for the schools; William Grubbs, equipment coordinator for Food and Nutrition Services for the schools; Michael Smith, program director at East Boston High School; and Eileen Nash, principal of the joint Beethoven/Ohrenberger K-8 School in West Roxbury.

"Their efforts, and those of their colleagues, are what make our schools great,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in a statement released after the ceremony.

Boston Teachers Union President Richard Strutman spoke about health benefits and collective bargaining, and criticized local politicians and state government, saying teachers were treated unfairly.

“Conventional wisdom also suggests that a speaker like myself be able to celebrate the accomplishments … but we cannot and we should not avoid painful discussions,” Strutman said during an address in the opening of the ceremonies. “Our schools will improve when the bashing stops and we regain the respect we deserve.”

John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com