Anika Gregg, Special Projects Coordinator of Stand for Children Massachusetts.

By Cathleen Twardzik

Stand for Children Leadership Center Massachusetts recently launched a contest called Our Heroes, which was designed to recognize and to reward outstanding public school teachers. The contest will award $1,000 to as many as five such teachers to use for classroom supplies or for professional development expenses.

Therefore, Somerville parents and residents have a chance to nominate a public school teacher who has made a difference for their children throughout the community. Tell your story on Stand for Children’s website to give your nominated teacher a chance to win.

“Teachers are every day heroes, and their work to improve the lives of children should be recognized.  By providing our kids with a great education, great teachers – our heroes – are ensuring the children they teach will be ready to succeed in life when they are out of school,” said Anika Gregg, Special Projects Coordinator of Stand for Children Massachusetts.

“We hope that by highlighting the great work of the teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty [that] their inspiring stories will draw attention to similar stories of heroism that occur in classrooms every day,” she said

The panel uses the following criteria to determine the winners: Teachers who have helped students with diverse backgrounds and learning needs to grow, have helped at-risk students to learn, have inspired and motivated students to overcome challenges, and have shown examples that demonstrate the teacher’s high expectations for all of their students.

Examples of the types of items, on which most teachers spend their $1,000 from the contest may include: subscriptions to interactive websites for students’ use, charts, a license to computer-based literacy programs, books and professional development textbooks for developing students’ literacy and writing skills.

“We hope to continue this tradition, moving forward, and continue highlighting the great work of teachers across Massachusetts,” said Gregg.

Stand for Children Leadership Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit leadership development and training organization which works in partnership with Stand for Children Massachusetts.

The organization trains ordinary people to be effective citizen leaders, all of whom are capable of solving problems, which children face, locally as well as statewide, by convincing elected officials and voters to invest in and to reform vital children’s programs.

Stand for Children Massachusetts first opened its doors in 2003, and since then Stand’s members, which include students, parents and teachers throughout Massachusetts, have been working together to ensure that all children, regardless of their background, graduate from high school, after having been prepared for, and after having been given access to a college education.

Nominations for Our Heroes opened on March 28, and the deadline to submit nominations is April 20.  Winners are expected to be announced on May 8, and an awards ceremony will take place at a future date, which has not yet been set.

Interested individuals may submit a nomination at www.Stand.org/Massachusetts/OurHeroes.  Additional information, as well as official contest rules are available on the same website.