Dear Amherst and Pelham Teachers, Parents/Guardians, and Instructional Paraprofessionals,
Spring is here and the Roger L. Wallace Excellence in Teaching Award Foundation is sending out its annual call to invite you to nominate an outstanding elementary level teacher to receive the prestigious Roger L. Wallace Excellence in Teaching Award.
In 2012, a group of parents, alumni, and retired educators, partnering with the Amherst Education Foundation, and collaborating with the Amherst Public Schools, created this annual award to honor Amherst and Pelham elementary teachers and recognize excellence in teaching! We honored our first teacher in the fall of 2013 and have raised money to create an endowment of $25,000 so that one teacher will be honored each year in perpetuity. The award includes a stipend of $1,000.
Our intent is to honor elementary teachers and to honor excellence in teaching. Our current selection process was created by way of a collaborative consultation among our Foundation members, teachers, and administrators, to have teachers, instructional paraprofessionals, and parent/guardians, participate in the nomination process. We will then form a Selection Committee to choose the nominee who will receive the award. Several members of the Foundation will participate as members on this Selection Committee and will be responsible for reviewing all nominations and submitting their recommendation to the full board for approval. We also welcome additional letters of support for any nominee from any member of the school community. (We do not want to encourage “campaigns” to assist a nominee, but we do want to have full information about the strengths and talents of all of those who are nominated.)
Nominations are due April 30, 2025.
The nomination process follows below.
To nominate an outstanding teacher, please submit:
A letter describing how the nominee fulfills Selection Criterion #1 (see below) and as many of the areas under Selection Criteria #2 (see below) as the nominator knows. A nominating letter should be 1-3 pages long and will be accepted in any language. Multiple letters for a single nominee will be considered.
The nominating letter should also include:
the name and contact information for the person making the nomination
a statement that the nominator has reviewed the eligibility criteria (see below) and believes the nominee is eligible, and
the current school and teaching assignment of the nominee.
Criteria for Selection
1. The Nominee demonstrates a social justice commitment, visible in actions that promote equity in the classroom and ensure equitable benefits for all students.
2. The Nominee also demonstrates excellence in several of the following areas:
a. The Nominee demonstrates thorough knowledge of the elementary school curriculum and prepares students for the society of the present and future.
b. The Nominee teaches in an engaging and challenging manner appropriate for elementary school students.
c. The Nominee encourages students’ self-confidence and a passion for learning.
d. The Nominee builds strong relationships with students, setting high standards for their personal and academic achievement and supporting them in reaching and even surpassing these goals.
e. The Nominee works closely with parents, collaborating with them in the growth and development of students.
f. The Nominee shares skills and information with other educational professionals, and continues to grow and learn as a teacher.
Nominations should be e-mailed to: wallace.teaching.award@gmail.com, no later than April 30, 2025.
We recommend nominations be submitted early so if a nomination appears to be incomplete, we can ask for additional information.
The principal of the school, where each nominee teaches will be asked to indicate whether, in their judgment, each nominee meets the selection criteria, and to offer other comments on the nominee.
The Selection Committee (see above) will select the recipient for the year.
Eligibility Criteria
The nominee must have taught for at least three years in the Amherst and/or Pelham elementary schools.
This award is to be made for excellence in teaching, not simply for excellence in any of the other important roles in a school. Recognizing that individuals with many different job titles may, in fact, teach, eligibility is open to any employee (including instructional paraprofessionals, but excepting administrators) who work at least half-time in the elementary school buildings, including those who work in multiple school buildings.
The nominee must be currently teaching in the Amherst and/or Pelham elementary schools and be expecting to continue to teach in our elementary schools in the school year following the school year of nomination. (Exceptions may be made for teachers who have provided long-time excellent service and may be retiring.)
Sincerely,
Board of the Roger L. Wallace Excellence in Teaching Foundation
N.B. This award is named in honor of Roger L. Wallace, who retired in 2012 after 39 years of excellent teaching in our elementary schools.
Please address questions to the Wallace Award Committee, c/o Paul H. Wiley, 413-253-5630 or e-mail: Wallace.teaching.award@gmail.com.
We will gratefully acknowledge each nomination that we receive.