Special education teachers, school staff receive awards for excellence

The Massachusetts Association of Approved Special Education Schools (MAAPS) announced today it is awarding its highest honors for excellence in teaching and service to students to special education teachers in Andover and Randolph and to a speech and language pathologist in Waltham.

To be honored at a May 26 ceremony with the MAAPS Excellence in Teaching Award is Rhonda Boudreau of The Anderson School at The Professional Center for Child Development (PCCD) in Andover, a 10-year veteran of special education who lives and works by the motto: “Every student, every day, whatever it takes.’’

Receiving MAAPS’s Albert E. Trieschman Memorial Award for Exceptional Direct Care Service are Grace Little of Milestones Day School in Waltham and Henry Njoroge of Boston Higashi School in Randolph. Both are described by parents, fellow teachers, and school leaders as inspiring, dedicated teachers able to bring out the best from students and colleagues alike.

“During a time of pandemic and disruption that has been so challenging for schools and educators of all kinds, Rhonda, Grace, and Henry epitomize the very best examples of the devotion, energy, and love that thousands of teachers and staff at MAAPS member schools bring to their students and their work every day,” said Elizabeth Dello Russo Becker, executive director of the 80-member association. “We congratulate, salute, and thank them for their amazing and inspiring work.”

More about each winner:

• PCCD’s Ms. Boudreau has been a special education teacher for students with severe disabilities for five years, including many who are medically complex, non-verbal, and non-ambulatory, after five years as a one-on-one teaching assistant. In nominating her for the excellence in teaching award, PCCD’s Anderson School Director Deanne Cefalo praised her “integrity, compassion, teamwork, talent, and dedication to her students’’ and hard work, including stepping up to support many colleagues during a time of staff turnover and classes moving to online because of COVID. Multiple parents submitted letters praising Ms. Boudreau, with one saying, “Seeing what others don’t see is one of Ms. Rhonda’s greatest strengths and allows her to bring out the greatest potential of her students.’’ Added another: “I’m at ease, because I know that Ms. Rhonda takes my place as mama and teacher while my daughter is at school, and I know she feels safe and she feels loved.”

• Ms. Little, co-winner of the Trieschman Award, is a Milestones speech and language pathologist known to be a force of positive energy in the school community, supporting students with the same generosity as with her colleagues, volunteering her time to offer professional development, and investing countless hours in creating comprehensive curriculum and lesson plans for students with acute language-based learning challenges. Soon after starting at Milestones, Grace was instrumental in creating and leading a social group for girls at the majority-male school which remains a beloved tradition today. Milestones’ Head of Admissions Sarah Folk, in her nomination letter, said: “With relentless determination, Grace finds inroads to even those of our students whose self-esteem and anxiety is most impactful. Grace is largely responsible for creating the framework and support system that inspired one student to use his voice for the very first time in school.’’ She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in special education.

• Mr. Njoroge, a Boston Higashi School Division Director and residential instructor, the other co-winner of the Trieschman Award, immigrated to the U.S. from Kenya in 2009 to work at Higashi, coming with a master’s degree in linguistics and no prior experience working with students with autism. “He didn’t step outside his comfort zone - he skydived!’’ wrote Heather Katz, Higashi Director of Training. “He had to adjust to a new culture, the cold climate, and learning everything he could about autism. Henry met every challenge face on - with that same giant smile and twinkle in his eye” and has earned a reputation as a coach who brings out the best “in each and every student and also the best out of each and every staff member. ‘’

MAAPS Board of Directors President Michael Ames, PhD, president and CEO of Robert F. Kennedy Community Alliance in Lancaster, a multi-service agency formed by the merger of Doctor Franklin Perkins School and RFK Action Corps that offers programs and services to individuals of all ages and their families, said: “All of us at MAAPS are so proud to recognize Rhonda, Grace, and Henry for their extraordinary service and dedication. They truly epitomize the commitment of all our MAAPS member schools’ educators and staff to be ‘exceptional schools for exceptional children’ and provide the highest-quality education and services to students with special needs."

Given out every year since 1981, the Trieschman Award is named in honor of Albert E. Trieschman (1932-84), a psychologist, author of two books on residential treatment for children with acute emotional needs, and founder and executive director of the organization today known as Walker Therapeutic & Educational Programs in Needham, a member of MAAPS.

These three outstanding people are among more than 10,000 teachers and staff that work at MAAPS member schools. Many Approved Special Education schools are now looking to hire people to work as teachers, teacher assistants, nurses, clinicians, counselors, therapists, residential staff, direct-care workers, Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), food service and maintenance workers, bus drivers and monitors, and many other rewarding, fulfilling jobs helping children and young people with special needs learn, grow, and maximize their potential.

A comprehensive statewide listing of schools with open positions, searchable by location and keywords, may be found at https://maaps.org/jobs/. MAAPS is also one of the organizations helping the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and MassHire in organizing a statewide virtual K-12 Education Job Fair on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Massachusetts Association of Approved Special Education Schools (MAAPS) was founded in 1978 as a statewide association of schools dedicated to providing educational programs and services to students with special needs, particularly students from Massachusetts public school districts who require specialized education programs and services as guaranteed by Massachusetts General Laws. MAAPS represents about 80 member schools serving over 7,000 children with special needs from Massachusetts and other states and countries. MAAPS’ mission is to represent approved special education schools in their goal of providing the highest quality education to students with special needs.