Mayor Menino, Schools to Honor City's 2002 Teachers of the Year

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will join School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger, Superintendent Thomas Payzant, and Boston Teachers Union President Edward Doherty to honor 15 exceptional Boston teachers on Monday, June 10 at 6:00 at the Loews Theatre Boston Common.

"The winning teachers go above and beyond - tutoring students, mentoring new teachers, and reaching out to parents," said Mayor Menino. "They come in early and leave late. But these educators are just a sample of the exceptional teachers we have in our schools."

The 15 honorees were chosen by an independent 11-member Selection Committee comprised of parents, principals, staff members, and former award-winning teachers. School Site Councils, from public schools across the city, recommended qualified teachers to the Selection Committee early in the spring. Teachers were selected because of their deep and demonstrated commitment to their students, parents, and to their school communities. In nominating teachers, many parents wrote inspirational stories of how these educators had turned their children's lives around.

Many of the honorees have extensive ties to the Boston Public Schools. Several are products of the system and two honorees, Michelle Burgos of the Hernandez School and Paula DiCamillo of English High School, have mothers who are also Boston Public School teachers.

The winners also represent a cross section of Boston teachers - elementary, middle, high, special needs, and bilingual. They will be honored at a special ceremony at the Loews Boston Common Theatre, followed by a reception at the new Ritz-Carlton.

The Gillette Company is the lead sponsor for the 2002 Boston Teachers of the Year awards.

This year's Boston Teachers of the Year are:

• Meredith Berke, McKinley Technical, South End
• Michelle Burgos, Rafael Hernandez School, Roxbury
• Torylee Cigna, Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Brighton
• Stevin Cohen, Another Course to College, Brighton
• Daniel Connolly, Murphy School, Dorchester
• Paula DiCamillo, Dorchester High School, Dorchester
• Richard Fulton, The Boston Latin School, Fenway
• Jane Manning, Umana/Barnes Middle School, East Boston
• Abby Marsa, Carter Developmental Center, South End
• Carol Moore, Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Chinatown
• Mary Rudder, Harvard/Kent Elementary School, Charlestown
• Oscar Santos, The English High School, Jamaica Plain
• Marilyn Walsh, Louis Agassiz Elementary School, Jamaica Plain
• Darren T. Wells, James P. Timilty School, Roxbury
• Junia Yearwood, The English High School, Jamaica Plain