ORANGE — When three school administrators visited Chrislyn Newton’s classroom holding flowers and balloons, she recognized the pomp and circumstance from seeing peers earn the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award in the past.
“When you’re a teacher, it’s one of those jobs that you don’t expect thanks — you just show up and you do your job,” she said, “and it didn’t really cross my mind that I would receive it, so it was a pleasant surprise.”
Newton was chosen as a winner of the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award, offered by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation in partnership with the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation. Recipients get nominated by their colleagues, and a committee makes the decision. Newton is one of three educators at Franklin County schools to receive the award this year.
“It’s one of those things where it’s humbling,” she said. “You don’t notice that people notice what you’re doing.”
Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards, also called Grinspoon Awards, are given to outstanding educators in the public, charter and parochial schools of Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. Since 2003, awards have been given to nearly 3,000 educators, according to the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation.
Each winner receives an engraved plaque and monetary award, along with tuition incentives and scholarships offered by American International College, Bay Path University, Elms College, Springfield College, Western New England University, Westfield State University and the University of Massachusetts. According to the foundation, winners also receive a three-month membership to one of the six regional YMCAs and a one-month membership to the Springfield Jewish Community Center.
“Our teachers serve not only as educators, but also as mentors, community leaders and innovators,” Michelle Moon, director of the Excellence in Teaching Awards at the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, said in a statement. “They play a fundamental role in supporting families and building communities. It is a great privilege to recognize outstanding teachers in the Pioneer Valley.”
Danielle Boucher, curriculum director for the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District and School Union 73, accompanied Fisher Hill Elementary School Principal Lisa Lewis and Superintendent Elizabeth Zielinski to Newton’s classroom to deliver the news.
“Chrislyn Newton of Fisher Hill School exemplifies the very best of what great teaching looks like. Through her passion for science, creativity in the classroom and unwavering commitment to students, she inspires curiosity, critical thinking and a love of learning each and every day,” Zielinski said in an email. “This recognition as a Grinspoon Teacher of the Year is a reflection, not only of her exceptional teaching, but also of the meaningful relationships she builds with students and the positive impact she has on our entire school community. We are incredibly proud of her well-deserved accomplishment and grateful for the dedication she brings to Fisher Hill Elementary School.”
Newton, who grew up in Stow and now lives in Orange, met her husband, Kyle, who is now the varsity football coach at Ralph C. Mahar Regional School, while studying education at Westfield State College. The Newtons were joined by Boucher and Zielinski at the celebratory banquet at the Log Cabin in Holyoke on May 6.
Newton has been teaching for 18 years, 16 of them in Orange. She has taught kindergarten through sixth grade and is now exclusively a science educator.
“I think science is one of those subject areas that reaches certain students. They may struggle in math and [English language arts] but, with it being way more hands-on, our curriculum that we use here is fully labs,” she said. “We don’t have computer work with it, we don’t have workbooks or textbooks. It’s a lot of just hands-on learning, and I think just in general kids tend to enjoy that type of learning, and that means I get to have fun basically all day long.”
