FOSTERING A CULTURE OF GRATITUDE - CS Alliance

FOSTERING A CULTURE OF GRATITUDE

Nominee’s Name: Sharon Nunes
School Name: St. Stanislaus
Nominated By: Marissa DaCosta

We were very thankful to have Ms. Nunes for 4th grade this year! She is very understanding and patient with the class and has a great way of relating lessons and class behaviors to real life situations. She is very communicative, always addressed concerns, relayed lesson plans and has helped whenever we needed her attention. Ms. Nunes is beyond appreciated and we hope our younger son will experience her teaching in his future class!

Nominee’s Name: Matthew McGurn
School Name: Bishop Stang High School
Nominated By: Father Jack Schrader

Mr. McGurn a good man. He generously offers of his time to be there for the students at campus ministry events, sporting endeavors, and of course in the classroom.

Nominee’s Name: Hillary Amaral
School Name: St. Joseph
Nominated By: Mandie Cummings

Mrs. Amaral is AMAZING with little ones. She always goes above and beyond for them. Watching their little faces light up when they see her says a lot about her. My little ones are always excited to go to school because of her. She loves her students like they were her own. I tell her she is a true angel sent from God himself for our students.


Nominee’s Name: Marianne Hajder
School Name: St. Stanislaus
Nominated By: Marissa DaCosta

Our Kindergarten experience for my son was above expectations having Marianne as a teacher! She is compassionate, attentive and expresses patience with the children. My son enjoys going to school and always has wonderful feedback when talking of his teacher, Mrs. Hajder! I am very thankful we receive notifications on the details going on in class as well as understanding the content they are learning week after week.

Nominee’s Name: Laura O’Connor
School Name: St. Mary, Mansfield
Nominated By: Bill Klements

Ms. O’Connor is everything we could want in a teacher. As a 3rd grade teacher she is able to work diligently with each student to meet their academic needs while also making every child in her care feel safe, cared for, and loved. Whether it is at a school assembly, a mass, or even a field trip one glance at the faces of the students in her charge shows how much they adore her. On a personal level, our son has made tremendous strides in reading, writing, and math during his year with Ms. O’Connor and has loved every minute of it. St. Mary’s Catholic School in Mansfield is a far better school due to the dedicated and selfless efforts of Ms. O’Connor. Thank you!!!

Nominee’s Name: Paula Boissonneau
School Name: Bishop Connolly High School
Nominated By: Tiffany Holt

Mrs. B is a guiding light! She always has a positive attitude for teaching and towards her students. She greets students with smiles and her face lights up when students greet her as well.

My daughter was blessed to have Mrs B her freshman year and still looks forward to a friendly wave and smile each time she sees her. Mrs B makes her students feel safe and loved! The diocese is so fortunate to have her!


Nominee’s Name: Brenda Gagnon
School Name: Holy Trinity
Nominated By: Fatima, Tyler and Benjamin Ponte

Our son Benjamin transferred into Holy Trinity last year after the Christmas break in 6th grade.  We were impressed with the school from day one after our school tour with Mrs. Gagnon.  The school utilizes every square foot amongst their many extracurricular programs STEM, 3D printing, hydroponics and pottery; they take learning to another level. We were looking for curriculum that would challenge him as well as incorporate our Catholic beliefs and morals.

Our son has thrived from the moment he started at Holy Trinity. He was welcomed with open arms by all the amazing teachers, faculty and classmates. Benjamin adjusted very quickly to the new atmosphere. He has been part of the advanced math program.  He has also taken part in the hydroponics and currently working on a 3D advertisement for IZ Schwartz. He was so nervous about the change and now looks back and wishes he had made the move earlier.

As a parent, my husband and I can’t say enough about the teachers. Coming in mid-year they made sure Benjamin wasn’t overwhelmed. They were there every step of the way guiding him and providing additional support to get him up to speed with the other students. They truly made the mid-year change in school so streamline.  Benjamin truly didn’t feel like the new kid in the class as it’s such a great group of kids.

My husband and I have become involved in the school we help with fundraisers, we participate in the parent’s group and just recently my husband became the basketball coach. We want to give back and be involved as a becoming part of the Holy Trinity family has been such a blessing for us. We are grateful beyond what words can express that Mrs. Gagnon allowed the mid-year move.

The school has a saying “we believe and achieve” and they truly represent that every day. We rave about the program, the environment and the entire school to all our friends and family.  Within this recent school year we had two nieces and a few friends join us at Holy Trinity.

Nominee’s Name: Shireen Muehlberger
School Name: St. John the Evangelist
Nominated By: Elissa OBryant

Mrs. Muehlberger loves to teach. She puts a lot of effort and thought into each class curriculum. Mrs. Muehlberger is adept at introducing different genres of books to her students and she encourages in-depth analysis of the subject matter. She knows how to engage her students by selecting grade appropriate books that are thought provoking and complex. Thank you Mrs. Muehlberger for all your efforts.

Nominee’s Name: Lauren Post
School Name: St. Mary, Mansfield
Nominated By: Katie Klements

Mrs. Lauren Post is a shining star at SMCS. Schools need the best teachers working with the students who struggle the most. Here in Mansfield, that is certainly the case. Lauren is an incredibly knowledgeable reading professional, a dynamic instructor, and a model of Christian charity. She teaches the whole student. In her academic support classes, she facilitates community service projects. She incorporates discussion of matters of faith while building the skills her reading students need. Mrs. Post models kindness and patience in every circumstance…all while digging in to the diverse struggles of her students. Dyslexia, Autusm, ADHD…. No matter their challenge, she meets the children where they are. Lauren cares deeply about her students’ academic progress, but never to the exclusion of fostering virtue. Seamlessly, she manages both on a daily basis with every student. At St. Mary’s Mansfield we are so blessed by Lauren Post.


Nominee’s Name: Beth Kelley
School Name: St. John Paul II School
Nominated By: Jackie Battles

Beth was asked to take over St Francis Xavier Preparatory School at a difficult and turbulent time. She stepped up and has been a wonderful dedicated administrator. She smoothed over what could have been a very anxious time for families and staff. She has spent countless hours dedicating her time and talents to SJPII. Words to describe her: kind, understanding, and generous. She has worked diligently to maintain high standards and expectations among the staff, teachers, and students. She is the unsung hero behind the scenes.

Nominee’s Name: Kellie Kickham
School Name: St. John the Evangelist
Nominated By: Peter Stewart

I find Kelly to be person of God working every day for the children of our school. She’s always the same, always friendly, always fair.

Nominee’s Name: Carolina Fernandes
School Name: St. Teresa of Calcutta
Nominated By: Katie Sousa

Teaching at any grade level is never easy, but teaching in an elementary school requires kindness, patience, and experience. These words describe all of the staff at STOC , but in particular I’d like to mention Carolina Fernandes.

My youngest son, Ryan, was a student in Mrs. Fernandes Pre-K 3 class last year. He had never been to school, or daycare for that matter, before that year, and I was worried about his transition into the school environment. Looking back, I could tell myself that I never had anything to be worried about. I’ve learned over the years that when a teacher knows their students well it can often prevent a lot of behavioral issues. Mrs. Fernandes does exactly this and it is clear through the disposition of her students that she is more than just an effective teacher, and that they love being around her. I’m blessed to be in the building daily, as well as occasionally work in the PK3 classroom, so I have the ability to watch her interact with her students throughout the day and that only further solidifies my opinion that we are so lucky to have her as a member of our faculty.

A lot of a teacher’s energy goes into things like setting up a classroom, finding new activities, and learning new technology. These things are important because the more efficiently your class is run, the better the year will be. However, when you find a teacher who would be able to teach, connect with her students, and still manage to make sure her entire class is having fun even if all of that is taken away, that makes a bigger difference than all of those things combined, and that is why I’m thankful for Mrs. Fernandes.


Nominee’s Name: Michael Vieira
School Name: Bishop Connolly High School
Nominated By: Andrea Cadorette

Mr. Vieira has been teaching at Bishop Connolly for 28 years. He always greets both past and present students in the hallway and makes everyone feel appreciated and seen. As an educator, Mr. Vieira is understanding while also pushing us to be our best because he has great expectations for all students, which is very motivating. I know I speak for my entire class when I say that we love his stories about Connolly because he’s been here for all the fun traditions and moments. It’s a great feeling to know that there is a teacher who will always be honest and support you, both as a friend and an educator.

Nominee’s Name: Daphne Costa
School Name: St. Teresa of Calcutta
Nominated By: Chloe Costa

Mrs. Costa is by far the best teacher I have ever had. She is the perfect balance of strict and kind and is a mother-figure to everyone who walks into her classroom. She is the only teacher I’ve ever had that has us take color-coded notes with us (and I can’t even begin to tell you about how much it helps). She gives the best advice when you have something going on in life, inside or outside of school, and even after school on her time, she will gladly help a student who is struggling to figure out a math or science question. Since I have had her, my math and science grades skyrocketed from low 90s to high 90s! I don’t know what I would do without her!

Nominee’s Name: Elise Rego
School Name: St. Teresa of Calcutta
Nominated By: Rachael Higgins

Mrs Rego had the difficult task of seemlessly merging two 4th grade classes from two very different schools this year. She took it in stride and has produced a safe, nurturing and effective classroom for my daughter Helen. She is accessible, understanding and on point with everything. We know what is happening and when it is happening before Helen has even a chance to tell us :).

Despite the distractions over the past few months, she is committed to insuring the 9 year old learn- and that is just what is happening. We could not be happier that she is our foray into this new school and new school year. Thank you Mrs. Rego!!!


Nominee’s Name: Karen Nichols
School Name: St. John the Evangelist
Nominated By: Shireen Muehlberger

Since joining St. John the Evangelist, Ms. Nichols has generated so much excitement around Spanish! She makes language learning exciting and purposeful for all our students, no matter their age. Her after-school Spanish Club is getting rave reviews. Also, in middle school this year, students have Spanish class more frequently than ever. Driven by Ms. Nichols’ creative, engaging, and no-excuses teaching style, more frequent instruction and practice has helped SJE students make terrific progress in learning to speak, write, and understand Spanish. Finally – Ms. Nichols brings such positive energy to each school day, for her students and colleagues alike. We are so lucky she is at SJE!

Nominee’s Name: Paula Boissoneau
School Name: Bishop Connolly High School
Nominated By: Katelyn Mooney

Mrs. Boissoneau is an amazing teacher who is always working to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. Throughout my time at Bishop Connolly, she has worked to make me and all of my classmates feel comfortable. I first had her as a freshman during Covid. We were all nervous freshmen and she was my homeroom and biology teacher. She made the transition from my small middle school to Bishop Connolly easier and less stressful. She is continuously working to make sure if someone misses days she will take time to go through everything people missed and work through it with them. In addition, she leads the National Honors and National Junior Honors society. I have been involved with the service projects that she has organized, such as toy drives for the Christmas season. Mrs. B is also always willing to write recommendation letters for all students who work their hardest in classes. I believe that Mrs. B deserves this honor through her dedication to each and every one of her students, as well as her involvement in serving the community.

Nominee’s Name: Megan dos Santos
School Name: Bishop Connolly High School
Nominated By: Andrea Cadorette

Mrs. dos Santos is an administrator at Connolly. She has the type of personality that makes me feel like I can walk in at any time if I need help with any academic issues. She has been extremely supportive and understanding of my ambitions and always goes the extra mile. For example, a few weeks ago I asked about a math tutor for a class I was struggling in. She found me in the hallway a week later and told me that she had been looking for one and gave me some options. Having an administrator put so much effort into getting me helped made me feel seen even though I was one of about two hundred students in the school. Her openness has made me feel welcome to spend time in her office to plan out my next two years at Connolly, which is incredibly helpful. Having an administrator be on your side and supportive is worth the world and I am so grateful for her.

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