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Somerville Board honors retirees, names teachers and specialists of the year
Summary
At its June 10 meeting the Somerville Board of Education recognized multiple retirees for long service and announced teacher and educational‑specialist awards across the district's three buildings.
The Somerville Board of Education used its June 10 meeting to honor retiring staff and to announce the district’s building-level teachers and educational specialists of the year.
Superintendent and building leaders introduced and praised retirees including Patty Rourke (special education teacher), Maureen Nevada (instructional assistant and life-skills program founder), Amy Lawless (physics and astronomy teacher and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot), Denise Lang (chemistry/physics teacher), Susan Taylor (French and ESL teacher), Margie Mahoney (school psychologist, child-study team), Deirdre Verjopy (speech therapist), and Carrie Plotkin (instructional assistant). Speakers emphasized decades of service, mentorship and contributions to students across multiple grade levels.
The board also announced award recipients: at the high school, Gary Knoepel was recognized as the high-school educator of the year for his work in adaptive physical education and coaching. At Vanderveer Elementary, Joelle Kessler was named teacher of the year and Jessica Myers was recognized as the educational-support professional (ESP) of the year. At Somerville Middle School, Christina Edelman was named teacher of the year and Patrick Manna was named educational specialist of the year.
Speakers at the meeting recounted examples of the retirees’ contributions: long tenure in the district, program-building (peer-to-peer clubs, Unified Bowling), mentoring of colleagues and students, veteran leadership on child-study and special-education teams, and roles in extracurricular activities. The board repeatedly thanked the honorees for their service and noted plans for retirement celebrations and ongoing community recognition.
Why it matters: The item documents long-term personnel transitions and recognizes staff who have shaped programs across Somerville Public School District. Several awardees were cited for program leadership and for building capacities that the district identified as priorities for future work in curriculum and student supports.
