Front Page News
September 17, 2014
Pittsfield School Board In Running For $100,000 Award
Nellie
Mae Education Foundation’s Lawrence O’Toole Award winner will be
determined by online voting open to the public
New Hampshire’s Pittsfield School Board has been nominated for the
Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s Lawrence O’Toole Award, which
comes with a $100,000 prize and is awarded annually to a leader or
group of leaders who have been innovative in advancing
student-centered approaches to learning. Student-centered learning
prepares students to master both the academic knowledge and the
critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills they
need to thrive. This year, for the first time, the public can vote
for the winner online and the candidate with the most votes at the
end for the voting period (September 9-30, 2014) will win the prize.
Superintendent of Pittsfield school district, John Freeman, and the
leadership team in Pittsfield, have demonstrated tremendous
initiative around the systems-change process in the district. The
team has fostered a community-based process that serves as a role
model for other districts to emulate as they implement a
student-centered system. Under the guidance of the Pittsfield School
Board, the school’s educational system has been successfully
remodeled to engage students and prepare them for a rapidly changing
society.
New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan highlighted Pittsfield in her
State of the State address in January, crediting the school with
bringing businesses, parents, and the entire community together to
reshape education. Since shifting to a student-centered system, the
number of 11th graders testing proficient in math has nearly
doubled.
“We are truly honored to be part of this transformation,” the
Pittsfield School Board said. “The support we are receiving from the
students, teachers, administration and community is truly amazing.
Winning this award would help us tremendously towards implementing
more student-centered opportunities, as well as give us the
resources to share what we have learned with other school districts,
without further financial burden to our taxpayers.”
The Larry W. O’Toole Leadership award was established in 2011 to
honor O’Toole and his success in laying the groundwork and
establishing the Foundation in 1998. O’Toole was the former
President and CEO of Nellie Mae Corp. In 1999, an acquisition by
Sallie Mae enabled the creation of what is now the Nellie Mae
Education Foundation.
“This award is a reminder of Larry’s legacy and his efforts to use
the Foundation’s resources in the best ways possible to achieve its
mission,” said Nicholas Donohue, President of the Foundation. “At
the same time, it is meant to recognize and further the great work
by local champions of student-centered learning.”
This year, six candidates have been nominated for the award (one
from each of the New England states). The winner of the contest will
receive a $100,000 grant towards their school or organization, which
will be presented at a ceremony this winter. Voting will be open to
the public on the Foundation’s website from September 9-30, 2014.
As the only NH school district to be recognized, we
are asking that you support the Pittsfield School Board in hopes of
receiving this honor. Please go to
http://www.nmefoundation.org/grants/larry-o-toole-award.aspx to cast your vote for the Pittsfield, NH School Board.
Thank you, your support is greatly appreciated!
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