Hall of Fame

Criteria and Nomination Procedure

 



 Elected 2020
       
 Virginia Bastable
Vicky Gruneiro
Ellen Metzger
 Filberto Santiago-Lizardi
Jamil Siddiqui
         
Elected 2019
       
Donna Pappalardo
       
         
Elected 2018
       
Marcie Abramson
 June Mark
     
         
Elected 2017
       
Deborah Schifter
       
         
Elected 2016
       
Art Johnson
Faye Ruopp
     
         
Elected 2015
Kit Norris
 
Elected 2014
       
Betty Bjork
(posthumously)
Thomas Moore  Susan Jo Russell
   
         
Elected 2013
       
Regina Panasuk
 Guy Roy
     
         
Elected 2012



Nancy Buell  Doug Holley  Neelia Jackson
 
         
Elected 2011        
Joan Martin  Leanna Russell  Susan Weiss    
 
       
Elected 2010        
Gloria Morin  Kay Tobin  Bob Willcutt    
         
Elected 2009        
Suzanne Chapin  Robert Devaney  Norton Levy (posthumously)  Lois Martin  
         
Elected 2008        
Linda Dacey  Paul Goldenberg  Steve Yurek    
         
Elected 2007        
Don Barry  Chuck Garabedian  Kay Merseth  Paula Sennett  
         
Elected 2006        
Jonathan Choate  Dr. J. Franklin Fitzgerald  Betty Kantrowitz  Erica Voolich  
         
Elected 2005        
Anne Collins  Jim Kaput  Maria Marolda  Ruth O’Malley  
         
Elected 2004        
Don Bloom  Al Cuoco  Dave Daniels  Dr. Carol Findell  Susan Friel
         
Elected 2003        
Margaret (Peg) Bondorew  Al Galante  Dorothy Galo  Dr. Carole Greenes  Dr. Marion Walter
         
Elected 2002        
Dwayne Cameron  Dr. Patricia Davidson  Dr. William Masalski  J. Bryan Sullivan  John J. Waite Jr.
         
Elected 2001        
Martin J. Badoian  Fr. Stanley J.  Bezuszka  Joe Caruso  Dr. Claire Zalewski Graham  Dr. Margaret Kenney

















































 







Overview and

Application Procedure

During the 2001-02 academic year, the Board of Directors of the Association of Teacher of Mathematics in Massachusetts voted to create the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Mathematics Educators to honor outstanding colleagues in their midst. Charter members were inducted in 2001. New members are selected from a group of nominees by members of the Hall of Fame.

Recognition
1. The educator has been involved in Mathematics Education in Massachusetts for a minimum of 20 years.
2. The educator has a distinguished record as a teacher of mathematics in Massachusetts.
3. The educator has made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of mathematics education.

Criteria for Evaluating Nominees
Describe the impact that the nominee has had on schools, school systems or universities by:
A. Introducing or participating in the development of new programs, or modifying existing programs in mathematics education.
B. Conducting workshops and giving presentations at the local, regional or national level.
C. Authoring published mathematics or mathematics education articles, books or programs.
D. Providing services to professional organizations.
E. Demonstrating leadership in mathematics education at the state, regional or national level. (Previous mathematics education awards or citations received by the nominee should be listed here.)
F. Demonstrating a continual search for knowledge.

Note that to be eligible for nomination, a nominee need not have achieved outstanding work in all of the above categories.

Nomination Requirements
Nominations are encouraged and should come from mathematics educators across the state. Nomination materials must include the following:
  • Name, address, phone, and email address of the nominee.
  • A two-page detailed description (provided by the nominator) of the ways in which the nominee meets the criteria cited above.
  • The nominee's detailed, annotated resume.
  • Two reference letters in addition to the detailed nomination.
  • Posthumous and emeritus nominees are accepted.
Nomination and reference letters should be to the Hall of Fame Committee via email to Kaitlyn Aspell at kaspell@gmail.com by March 1.




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Elected 2001

Martin J. Badoian

Marty has taught for over 40 years and has been Chairman of the Mathematics Department at Canton High School for 26 years. Marty has repeatedly demonstrated his dedication and commitment to his students, school, and community. He has been a well known leader in mathematics education in the state and region for the past 25 years. His work with his Math Team has produced numerous State & New England Championships. His students have excelled in local, state, and national competitions year-after-year and have received degrees from the top colleges and universities across the country. Marty has been a leader of mathematics competitions both locally and nationally. He has been the New England Math Meet Director since its inception and has been a director of the New England Mathematics League postal competition for the past 20 years. Marty was one of the founders of the ARML (American Regions Mathematics League 25 years ago, is currently its Vice President, and has been the coach of the State Math Team for the same length of time. Marty has been the State Math Olympiad Contest Director and its President and has served as its Treasurer for the past 15 years. Marty has published a five-year overview of the State Olympiad Exam providing detailed solutions for each problem. He currently writes contest problems for Mathematics Leagues around New England and has been an invited speaker at ATMIM, ATMNE, and NCTM conferences both locally and nationally. Marty graduated from Brown University and has taught mathematics classes for teachers at Bridgewater State College. He has touched the lives of so many students and teachers in the New England area and we are all the better for it. Marty has been the recipient of numerous awards such as the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (State & National Winner), Tandy Scholar (National Winner), and an ARML Award for his contributions and service for the past 25 years. Marty is a teacher, mentor, and leader in mathematics, second to none. His love of mathematics and problem solving is clearly obvious to all who know him. Mathematics, teaching, and problem solving has been his life for the past half century. He cares for his family first, his students second, and his colleagues next. Marty has dedicated his life to sharing his joy of mathematics to all, strived to improve mathematics education for students and teachers, and to lead by example. Those fortunate to have worked with Marty, recognize him, as a true and model professional educator. Marty’s approach to life is that he expects no more from others than he expects from himself.

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Fr. Stanley J. Bezuszka

In the mathematics community he is often referred to as the Father of Modern Mathematics. His name is synonymous with leadership in mathematics education. In the truest sense of the word, he is a pioneer in mathematics education. Fr. Bezuszka’s presentations at local, regional, and national conferences serve as center stage for his vast knowledge of mathematics and delightful sense of humor make him one of the most prolific and sought after speakers in any mathematics forum. Fr. Bezuszka founded and is the director of the Mathematics Institute as well as a professor of mathematics at Boston College. He has published extensively for such companies as SRA, William Sadlier, Dale Seymour, Creative Publications, and Charles E. Merrill. His creativity speaks for itself with his many published documents that are widely used my many mathematics teachers across the country. He has been the recipient of many awards by groups who have recognized his contributions to the mathematics community. These awards include: 1990 recipient of the prestigious Glen Gilbert Award from National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and the Mathematics Education Trust Foundation in 1995 from National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Fr. Stanley J. Bezuszka has touched the lives of many teachers not only in this state but the New England Region and the far reaches of this country. His creativity and ingenuity has sparked many students to higher levels of achievement.

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Joe Caruso

Joe Caruso has dedicated his professional career for the betterment and improvement of mathematics education both in Somerville and in Massachusetts. Joe has been involved in mathematics education for thirty-eight years at Somerville High School the last 27 as the Mathematics Department Chair. He has initiated numerous professional development opportunities and workshops for teachers in Mathematics in Somerville as well as in several towns and cities in the Greater Boston Area. He has been actively involved in professional organizations and was a Committee Chair in 1988 and 1995 when NCTM held a regional and national meeting in Boston. In addition, he has published for J Weston Walch in a much needed and under represented part of our school population, namely Bilingual and ESL students. He has been a math team coach for most of his career and has been the President of the Massachusetts Math Leagues since 1993. He has been a member of the Executive Board of ATMIM since 1999. His math teams have excelled at the Worcester Polytechnical Institute Mathematics Invitational. His teams have consistently place in the top 10 of the 90 New England schools that participate. This is an exemplary performance from an urban school district. Joe is a tireless, versatile and dedicated worker. His teaching experience has ranged from middle school to adjunct faculty at the college level. He has taught in a special education environment as well as Advanced Placement Calculus. He has served as a college supervisor of student teachers for Boston University and Tufts University. Many of these student teachers are now faculty members in school districts in the Greater Boston Area. Educators who know Joe Caruso and who have worked with him know that when he is involved in a task or major project, the work will be done and done well.

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Dr. Claire Zalewski Graham

Seventeen years of Claire’s involvement in Mathematics Education was spent in the Lexington Public Schools as an elementary classroom teacher and as a mathematics specialist. For the past 15 years she has taught both Early Childhood and Elementary Mathematics curriculum courses in the education department at Framingham State College. She has achieved the rank of Professor. She is currently teaching in both the mathematics and education departments. She has served as acting Department Chair of the Education Department and supervises student teachers. Claire has been extremely active in many mathematics organizations throughout the years. She served on the ATMIM Board since 1979 in several positions: Director, ATMNE representative, president-elect, President and as an appointed board member. For thirteen years she was the Massachusetts State Director for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching. In the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics she has served as the Northeast Regional Director and has been the secretary during Steve Leinwand’s presidency. She has been the secretary of ATMNE for the past fifteen years. She has also served on numerous committees for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). She has been the President of BAMS (Boston Area Mathematics Specialists) for more than twenty years. She has served on the Massachusetts Department of Educations Mathematics and Science Advisory Council for the past six years, as well as serving as its co-chair for the past two years. She has been a speaker at many state, regional and national meetings. Claire has been a dedicated educator focused on improving mathematics education for students and teachers alike in Massachusetts.

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Dr. Margaret Kenney

Peg Kenney is a professor of mathematics and Assistant Director of the Mathematics Institute at Boston College. Peg has touched the lives of thousands of individuals, many of whom are now teachers. She invests significant amounts of time, care, and patience in her students, values their efforts, and applauds their accomplishments. She formally advises undergraduate and graduate students at BC and she consults informally with former students and other mathematics educators who seek her sound advice. Peg is a much sought after presenter across the United States and other countries, however, she always makes time to encourage, motivate and work with teachers from the Boston area. Peg effectively updates and refines her materials and presentations, integrating the advances in technology and new emphases in mathematics education. She has authored and was awarded a multi-term, multi-site NSF proposal to assist educators in implementing discrete mathematics. This ambitious project continues to affect mathematics education across the country. On the BC campus, Peg organized a one-day conference of nationally known educators to share their successful practices on discrete mathematics. Peg has been the general editor of a series of three yearbooks published by NCTM. She has served on the editorial panel of NCTM Student Math Notes and as a referee for the Arithmetic Teacher, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle Schools, and the Mathematics Teacher. She also has served on the advisory committee of Quantum, a mathematics and science student journal, which was a joint venture of the USSR and the USA. For years, Peg has been an active member of NCSM and NCTM, and has served on the NCSM Nominating Committee, NCTM Publications, Program and Executive and Educational Materials Committees. She continues to be a very active member of the SAT II Mathematics Writing Committee for ETS. She has served as president of both ATMNE and ATMIM. Peg has made significant contributions through her leadership, involvement, and service in each of these organizations. She has been recognized as a Richard H. Balomenos Memorial Lecturer which highlights mathematics leaders who make strong and possible controversial points of view that spark us to think carefully about the improvement in mathematics education. Just recently Peg was awarded NCSM’s prestigious Glenn Gilbert Award. This award recognizes Peg as a lifelong contributor and leader in mathematics education and practices. There are also the intangible, personal characteristics which Peg brings to her work. She is unassuming, modest and empowering. She derives much pleasure from success of others as she does from her own prestigious accomplishments. Through her zeal, skill and knowledge, she has brought new audiences to levels of mathematics understanding and appreciation that might otherwise have been missed. Peg displays a unique commitment and contribution to mathematics education at all levels. She is an extraordinary teacher, a prolific author of innovative problems, articles and textbooks; an articulate spokesperson and leader for change in content, materials, and pedagogy; and a strong contributor to local and national professional organizations.

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Elected 2002

Dwayne Cameron

Dwayne Cameron has had over 30 years of experience in mathematics education including teaching and department chair duties at Old Rochester Regional High School and as an adjunct professor at Western New England College. He has been an advocate of expanding the mathematics curricula of local and regional high schools to include topics in Discrete Mathematics. He has been active in ATMIM as a member and as past president. He has served on the board of directors of ATMNE. He has been active in NCTM serving as a member of the Regional Services Committee, the subcommittee on Reorganization, Representative for the Council of Presidential Awardees in Mathematics and Program Chair of the Regional Conference to be held in Boston in November, 2002. Dwayne was also instrumental in the development of the NCTM Standards which currently serve as benchmarks for mathematics content and pedagogical style in today’s mathematics classroom. He has served as Contest Director and President of MAML. He has been an invited speaker to mathematics forums in Canada and Germany. The influence of his style and dedication has also been felt by his involvement in the Southeastern Massachusetts Mathematic League. For over 25 years Dwayne Cameron has directed and influenced the operation of this league to provide a mechanism for challenging the brightest students in this region of the state. He was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in Statistics from Princeton and NSF appointments at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Boston University and UMass Dartmouth for topics such as Algebraic Word Problems and Chaos and Fractals. He has been the recipient of the Mary Dolciani Scholarship, a Tandy Technology Scholarship and a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching. Publications by Dwayne include Focus on Statistics through the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, Geometric Probability through Leadership Development Enabling Change and Algebra in a Technological Society through the New England Mathematics Journal.

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Dr. Patricia Davidson

Her 40 year career in mathematics education includes teaching in the Newton Public Schools and professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at UMass Boston. While at UMass Boston, Pat also served as Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost for Academic Support Services. She has served organizations such as NCTM, NCSM, ATMIM, AMTNE, APMT, BAMS, and EMAMDH. She is a prolific writer, speaker and researcher in mathematics education. She has been involved in a number of curriculum development initiatives in mathematics, teacher training workshops and Director of the nationally recognized and renowned Critical and Creative Thinking Program at UMass. She has been a featured speaker at many NCTM conferences and has been nationally recognized for her research in learning styles. Through an NSF grant, Pat designed, developed and co-taught an experimental mathematics course using computers and this program is now part of the general education curriculum at the University. Consistently perceptive about assessment and instruction, Pat designed a calculus course for students in the College of Management and directed the efforts of the Math Lab where she supervised and trained tutors for courses in mathematics and computer science. Pat had a profound influence beyond the campus of UMass. She helped develop and served as chairperson of the Greater Boston Urban Collaborative mathematics curriculm project. This initiative developed unified curricula and facilitated the movement of students from local community colleges to the University. In addition, she has served on the Board of Higher Education’s Entry Assessment Task Force and was charged with studying the reliability of the mathematics assessment instrument entitled ACCUPLACER. Pat has served on the state-wide Mathematics Alignment Task Force and played an important role in analyzing the degree to which the Department of Education’s Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks align with the Board of Higher Education’s list of mathematics competencies. She has been honored with the title of Professor Emerita of Mathematics and the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service from UMass Boston. Among her publications are Mathematical Learning Profiles and Differentiated Teaching Strategies, Assessing Mathematical Abilities, and Learning Approaches and Mathematics Learning Viewed from a Neurobiological Model for Intellectual Functioning.

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Dr. William Masalski

Bill is a Professor of Mathematics at UMass Amherst. He was the Director and Administrator of the Massachusetts Mathematics Initiative, a state coalition initially funded by Mathematical Science Education Board (MSEB) of the National Research Council. He was an advisory of the Mathematics, Science and Technology Advisory Council for the State Board of Education and a member of the Board of Directors of both the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Western Massachusetts (MATHWEST) and the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts (ATMIM). He is the past president of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England (ATMNE) and served as Editor of the New England Mathematics Journal from 1981-1992 and currently is honored with the title of Editor Emeritus of that publication. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the NCTM, he also served on its Technology Advisory Committee, the Education Materials Committee and chaired the Telecommunications Task Force. He has served as the core advisor to the Annenberg/CPB WGBH project that has produced more than seventy videotapes of classroom lessons that illustrate the implementation of the vision of the NCTM Standards. He has served on the steering committee designed to align college admission standards to the expectation of students K-12 through the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. Bill Masalski has played a major role in the development of state-wide funded Inservice Training Institutes for mathematics and science teachers; co-director of the National Science Foundation funded Computer Assisted Mathematics Project; directed and administered the Mathematical Science Education Board funded Massachusetts Mathematics Initiative. Among his many publications and research projects are the following: Visual Approach to Mathematics: Rational Numbers through Science Research Associates; Midpoints and Quadrilaterals, Taking the Mystery out of a Magic Square, Polycubes Activities, How to Use the Spreadsheet as a Tool in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom through NCTM and Mathematics Assessment through WGBH/Annenberg/CPB.

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J. Bryan Sullivan

A recently retired professional with 35 years of experience in mathematics education including teaching and department chair duties and math team coach at Hudson High School, Bryan is known locally, regionally, and nationally as one of the most influential educators involved in student math competitions. For most of his career in education, Bryan has been involved in the Worcester County Mathematics League, the American Regions Mathematics League, and the Massachusetts Association of Mathematics League. He is the coach of the Western Massachusetts All Star Team that competes in the ARML competitions and serves as its site coordinator at Penn State. He has served as President of ATMIM and continues as a member of the Board of Directors. He also served as Conference Chair of the 1988 NCTM Regional Conference in Boston and the NCTM Annual Meeting in Boston in 1995. He again will serve as the Conference Chair of the NCTM Regional Meeting to be held in Boston in November, 2002. Bryan has been the recepient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics, a Tandy Technology Scholar, and the American Regions Mathematics League Founder’s Award. He was featured in a video production sponsored by NCTM and has been recognized by Cornell University for his far reaching impact on students.

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John J. Waite Jr.

Jack Waite is a retired professional with almost 40 years of service in mathematics education including teaching and department chair duties at Winchester High School. He has served organizations such as NCTM, NCSM, ATMIM, AMTNE, APMT, BAMS, and EMAMDH. He is a past president of ATMIM and the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Mathematics Department Heads. Jack was one of the founding fathers of the Massachusetts Mathematics League and he also played a major role in the formation of the Massachusetts Association of Mathematics Leagues (MAML). Although retired, Jack continues his involvement and influence in mathematics education by serving as a college supervisor of student teachers for Boston University. Because of his astute knowledge and expertise in mathmatics education, Jack has served on evaluation teams for several school districts in Massachusetts. In addition Jack has been a featured presenter in professional development activities in various communites throughout the state. At the NCTM Regional Conference in Boston in November 2002, Jack will play a major role in organizing and delivering an all day workshop for new teachers. Throughout his career Jack has excelled as a model mathematics educator.

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Elected 2003

Margaret (Peg) Bondorew

Peg Bondorew is an exemplary candidate for induction into the Massachusetts Mathematics Hall of Fame. Peg has served the mathematics community in a variety of roles for over 30 years. Peg has worked as an Elementary Mathematics Specialist in the Lexington Public Schools. Later while still a member of the Lexington Public Schools, Peg taught at the Diamond Junior High School. Her outstanding accomplishments and achievements were recognized by administrators and peers and she was nominated and selected as the national winner from Massachusetts for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. It should be noted that Peg was Massachusetts’ first recipient of this prestigious award. Peg has always promoted excellence in the teaching and learning of mathematics. She is an active participant in the organization of PAEMST awardees. She continues to promote the program by identifying and nominating worthy candidates. Peg’s accomplishments are diverse and far-reaching. When the Commonwealth of Massachusetts received the NSF Grant that funded Project PALMS, Peg was hired as the statewide mathematics coordinator with the Department of Education. This position had been absent from the DOE for many, many years. In her role as state coordinator, Peg oversaw the process and development of the original mathematics frameworks, Achieving Mathematical Power. Under her leadership this framework was adopted by the Board of Education in 1995. While serving as the mathematics coordinator Peg worked as the liaison between the State Department of Education and NSF, NCTM, and ASSM. She has been a forceful spokesperson for teaching mathematics to all children. She has represented our state at national meetings and has earned the respect of her colleagues in other state departments of education. Peg has spent the last seven years as the mathematics director for CESAME (Center of Enhancement for Science and Mathematics) at Northeastern University. She is responsible for organizing and promoting hundreds of professional development opportunities for mathematics teachers in New England. Peg has been a leading spokesperson and has worked with tremendous energy to assist school districts in Massachusetts in the implementation of standards-based curricula. She has organized and coordinated summer institutes and professional development workshops for teachers and administrators. She has provided support in every possible way to help others provide a quality mathematics education for all students. Peg presents workshops throughout the state at meetings of professional organizations and provides professional development for school districts. She never hesitates to take on a challenge. She is currently the President of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts. She has been a member of the BAMS, ATMIM, ATMNE, NCTM, NCSM and ASSM for over 30 years. Peg has dedicated her professional career to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. Her willingness to help, guide, and mentor others has earned for her a position in the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.

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Al Galante

Al is a 37 year member of the Randolph School System. Throughout his career, Al has repeatedly demonstrated his dedication and commitment to his students, his school, his community, and the mathematics community. He has demonstrated leadership in the state and region for the past 25 years. His contribution to mathematics league competitions at both the state and New England region level over the years has been nothing short of amazing. His involvement and contributions include: the administration of the meets, writing and screening questions, and the organizational logistics of these competitions. His dedication over the years has helped provide many of the regions outstanding mathematics students with a valuable and rich experience. Al has been a coach of the State Math Team for many years and has regularly run math practices at Canton High along with Marty Badoian in preparation for the national ARML competition. Al has contributed to the success of our State Math Olympiad Contest and has served on the Board of Directors of MAML for many years. For many years, Al has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of both ATMNE and ATMIM. He has ablely served as past president of ATMIM and has been a valuable contributor as a committee chairperson at various regional mathematics conferences sponsored by ATMIM, ATMNE and NCTM. For many years, Al has also taught mathematics classes at Bentley College as an adjunct professor. Truly, Al is a teacher, mentor, and leader in mathematics education in the state and the region. His love of mathematics and problem solving is clearly obvious to all who know him. Al has dedicated his life to improving mathematics education for students and teachers, and has led by example. Al’s true professionalism and giving himself regularly to improve and enrich the lives of others has earned him a position in the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.

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Dorothy Galo

Dot Galo has been a professional educator in the Hingham Public Schools for over 30 years where she has embraced many roles. While in Hingham, Dot has been a teacher, assistant principal, a K-12 Director of Mathematics, an Assistant Superintendent and currently serving as Superintendent. Her involvement in mathematics has been deep and committed. After her appointment as Assistant Superintendent, she continued in the dual role of also managing the mathematics program from Grades K through 12. Dot Galo was a founding member and later president of the Association of Teachers of Low Achievers in Mathematics (ATLAVOS). This organization was focused on being a resource of activities and ideas to help low achieving students become better and successful learners in school. Given the recent advent of MCAS and NCLB, Dot Galo was a generation ahead of her time. Throughout her career, Dot has been involved in many professional organizations such BAMS, A2PMT, ATMIM, ATMNE, NCTM and NCSM. Her involvement in A2PMT was instrumental in laying the foundation for a very successful advanced placement mathematics program in the Hingham Schools. Dot also started a Great Books and Math Plus program for Hingham’s elementary school students who needed challenging extensions beyond the usual curriculum offerings. For many years, Dot has been the coordinator of programs for gifted and talented students in Hingham. This program still exists with Dot Galo at the helm. Dot is an ardent supporter of student participation in mathematics competitions and contests such as Continental Math League and New England Math League. She believes that winning is secondary to participation. First and foremost for her is exposure to challenging problems and providing opportunities for all students who express a willingness to work hard and improve their problem solving skills. Dot has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of mathematics education through her involvement and accepting of leadership positions in ATMIM and ATMNE. She supports and encourages and participates in a variety of professional development endeavors and is a frequent presenter at professional workshops and meetings setting a standard for good models of mathematics education for schools in Massachusetts. Dot’s hard work and dedication to mathematics education has earned her a position in the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.

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Dr. Carole Greenes

Carole Greenes, a mathematics professor at Boston University, has been involved in Mathematics Education at the local, regional and national level for over 35 years. Her unselfish leadership has significantly contributed to the advancement of mathematics education and mathematics teaching in Massachusetts. She has excelled at training teachers and inspired countless others with her innumerable speaking engagements and seminars. She has stimulated the growth of mathematics curriculum and helped many others by teaching them to write mathematics curriculum. Carole Greenes is a renowned writer and author. Many school systems have reaped the benefits of the plethora of published materials, textbooks and booklets on problem solving to enhance teaching and learning. Even to this day, Carole is the editor of the PreK to Grade 2 Navigation series for NCTM. This series will have a long term impact on the curriculum and teaching styles and strategies of the teachers at this vital level of mathematics education. Carole has been a wonderful guide and model for doctoral students at the university level. Her experience, knowledge and understanding of mathematics education has been instrumental in developing research techniques of future educators and guiding them in a path to become influential leaders in mathematics education. Carole has been an active member of ATMIM, ATMNE, NCTM and NCSM. She is a past president of ATMIM and just recently has completed her term as President of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. Unequivocally she ranks among the most prolific, competent, and highly sought after speakers that the professional organizations have to offer. She has made major contributions to the College Board by writing and selecting questions for the SAT exams. Carole’s hard work, energy, productivity, and her clever, thoughtful, and inspiring writing as well as her articulate professionalism has earned for her admission into the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.

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Dr. Marion Walter

Marion Walter is Professor Emerita at the University of Oregon. Marion was very active in Massachusetts as a mathematics professor, mathematics education professor, workshop leader and curriculum developer from 1956 - 1977 and still continues important connections in the state as a consultant, curriculum advisor and author. While teaching at Simmons College, Marion was instrumental in creating the mathematics major program. Through her efforts, a department mathematics major was formed, faculty hired and recruiting of students to be math majors began and many of these graduates are currently teaching mathematics in secondary schools across the Commonwealth. During her career, Marion has worked for the Education Development Center in Newton in developing innovative activities that show connections between geometry and algebra. Evolving from her work was “Boxes, Squares and Other Things” which later was published by NCTM. Also the innovative “Mirror Cards” were developed by Marion while at EDC. This development won Marion several awards for bringing together the fields of art and mathematics. Marion Walter has made extensive contributions in the areas of problem solving and problem posing. The late Dr. Robert Davis, director of the Madison Project, felt that Marion’s pioneering effort influenced the reform movement in mathematics both nationally and internationally. In fact, one of Marion’s problem posing conjectures that has been subsequently proved by others has been named the “Marion Walter Theorem”. Marion has provided yearlong workshops for teachers in Cambridge and Newton. Teachers in these systems were introduced to effective strategies for using manipulatives such as pattern blocks, geoboards, multi-base arithmetic blocks to develop conceptual skills in their students. One of Marion’s most lasting contributions was in the formation of the Boston Area Mathematics Specialists (BAMS) professional organization. Through her efforts, mathematics teachers and specialists were brought together to support each other and share concerns and solutions. To this day, this group continues to grow and flourish and influence the lives of many mathematics educators who participate in activities sponsored by BAMS. Marion has over 40 publications, many of which have been circulated internationally. She has given over 100 workshops and lectures throughout the United States and in Canada, England, Denmark, Hungary and Israel. She has been on the advisory board of Sesame Street, the TERC Project on Used Numbers and the U.N.E.S.C.O and United Nations Development Program for the Israeli Science Teaching Center. She continues to write prolifically, having five publications in press, including a chapter on Problem Posing which she co-authored with Paul Goldenberg of EDC to be published by NCTM and an article in the Focus Issue on Geometry to be published in the New England Mathematics Journal. Marion’s life and work are celebrated in the publication, Notable Women in Mathematics: A Biographical Dictionary. Marion’s devotion and dedication to mathematics education has made her a most worthy candidate to be inducted into the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.

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Elected 2004

Don Bloom

Don Bloom has been a mathematics educator for 41 years, 37 in an exemplary career at Worcester Academy. He has been a member of ATMIM, ATMNE, A²PMT, and CM²T. His role at Worcester Academy has been as both a teacher and as a Department Chair. Don has taught every mathematics course at Worcester Academy from Grade 7 Pre-Algebra to BC Calculus. Currently Don is the assistant coach of the Western Massachusetts ARML team. His primary role with this team is to teach high level topics, develop highly competitive contest taking strategies as well as demonstrate solutions to advanced mathematics problems. Don has served the College Board as an AP Calculus reader and grader. In 1988 Don was the author of the problems for the student conference at the NCTM Boston regional conference and in 1989 he created the New York State Mathematics League Contest. Many times Don is called upon to review questions that will appear on local, state, and regional mathematics competitions because he is a meticulous and careful reader who ensures that problems and solutions are carefully presented and solved. Don Bloom has been an asset to the educational environment at Worcester Academy as well as mathematics education across the Commonwealth. Don has been the math team coach at Worcester Academy since 1967 and has served MAML as Contest Director and President. Don has been a presenter for ATMIM at various conferences held across the state. Among his presentations has been “Problem Solving” at the Kennedy Library and “Graphing Transformations” at Bentley College. He is recognized as a master teacher, a role model and mentor, for all teachers. He demonstrates tremendous enthusiasm and boundless love for mathematics. He is always looking for new, interesting and challenging applications to enrich the lives of his colleagues and fellow teachers alike. He challenges all students whom he encounters to reach farther and to further develop their knowledge, whet their mathematical appetite, and expose them to a wealth of skills and strategies. His personal philosophy can be summed up in a statement he once made to those who were going to observe him teach a class, “You will see theoretical exposition and practice to strengthen understanding, review and repetition to firm up knowledge, humor and cajolery to capture and deepen interest, and combined written and oral presentations to enter a students’ mind through more than one sense.” Despite his successes, Don has stated, “Learning to teach mathematics takes a lifetime.”

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Al Cuoco

Al Cuoco has had a distinguished career as a mathematics educator. The first part of his career has been as a teacher for 14 years and as department chair for 10 years in the Woburn Public Schools. His second calling has been as a creative curriculum developer and innovative source of professional development for educators throughout the state through the Education Development Center in Newton. Many mathematics teachers have reaped the benefits of Al Cuoco’s continuous stream of curriculum and professional development materials that provide high school students and teachers alike with experiences that exemplify mathematical ways of thinking, active learning of mathematics, and connections both within mathematics and with other disciplines. Through the Leadership in Mathematics project and the PROMYS for Teachers Program, Al has emphasized problem solving and mathematical exploration while, at the same time, maintaining rigor and the major components of mathematics that distinguish it from other fields of science, that is, deductive reasoning. As project director for these and other programs, he has insured that many of the beneficiaries are teachers and students from Massachusetts’s schools. At EDC, Al has served as Senior Scientist and Director of the Center for Mathematics Education. He has been the Principal Investigator and Project Director on numerous projects. Some of these are Making Mathematics and Developing Mathematical Research Skills, an online resource for students and teachers working on open-ended research projects;, Mathematical Methods in High School, a text for an alternative 4th year high school course, and Building Regional Capacity, a three-year program that assisted middle and high school mathematics teachers in becoming building leaders and study group facilitators. Al has been a prominent speaker at conferences sponsored by NCSM, NCTM, MAA or ASM, addressing local or regional student groups as well as teachers. Al has been a prolific author of articles pertaining to mathematics and the teaching of mathematics as well as of mathematics textbooks. His Connected Geometry text has been used and enjoyed by students and teachers alike. Al has been involved in the reform effort in Massachusetts both during the development of Achieving Mathematical Power, the first statewide mathematics frameworks and the revision of those frameworks. Al is also actively involved with the mentoring process for high school mathematics teachers. He is one of the key investigators in the NSF program called Focus on Mathematics. This program is a partnership among Boston University EDC, UMass-Lowell, and 5 urban districts within Massachusetts. Al is also a leader in another NSF initiative called Mathematical Themes in which groups of math educators are gathering to write, pilot, and edit a new secondary math curriculum. His favorite publication is his 1991 article in the American Mathematical Monthly, described by his wife as "an attempt to explain a number system no one understands with a picture no one can see."

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Dave Daniels

Dave Daniels has been characterized by many of his colleagues as one of the most enthusiastic and intellectually curious individuals one could ever hope to meet. He has been credited for referring to formulas and ideas as "mathy," and always finds a way to go beyond the surface level of a problem to provide an interesting twist or a mind-bending challenge. Dave has had a distinguished career of 36 years at Longmeadow High School. Twenty one of those years were spent as the Mathematics Department Chair. While serving as Chair, Dave demonstrated his teaching versatility by teaching the BC Calculus course as well as the lowest level of Algebra 1. He found new and exciting ways to help students increase their understanding of mathematics, and his love of the subject was highly infectious. Dave constantly referred to "habits of mind," which students need in order to continue to succeed in their pursuit of math excellence. For the past 5 years, Dave has served the College Board as an AP Calculus reader/grader. In 2000, Dave retired from Longmeadow but he has not retired as a mathematics educator. Dave has been busy teaching calculus as an adjunct professor at Western New England College. In addition, he also teaches at the MacDuffie School, an independent private school in Springfield. It is obvious that Dave is not ready to stop teaching kids how to do math! Dave was the Program Chair for the 1993 ATMNE Springfield Conference. For 15 years, Dave served as President of the Western Massachusetts Math League as well as serving the state as a past Contest Director and President of MAML. Dave has been a “teacher of teachers” for many years. He has conducted weeklong workshops at the Phillips Exeter Math Conference. Too numerous to mention are the vast number of workshops and presentations he has made at a local level and for ATMIM, ATMNE, and NCTM conferences. Dave has been a popular and visible presenter. Most of his presentations are “standing room only” where crowds of teachers are gathered to be inspired and entertained. He has traveled during the summer as part of a three-member team that gives a weeklong workshop sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Dave has worked on a Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System committee to develop the Grade 10 exam. Dave has done consulting work for Glencoe Publishing Company, worked as an author for Addison Wesley’s Algebra II textbook and written test items for ACT. In addition Dave has had several articles published in the “Mathematics Teacher”, a NCTM publication. Dave has been honored as a Tandy Technology Scholar in 1994 and a Presidential Award winner in Mathematics in 1988.

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Dr. Carol Findell

Dr. Carol Findell has served the mathematics education community in the northeast for over 40 years with better than 20 years as a mathematics educator in Massachusetts. Throughout her career Carol has been characterized as an outstanding teacher of children and of pre-service and in-service teachers, a prolific author of instructional materials, a superb collaborator on research activities, and a most capable leader in the university as well as in professional organizations. Carol’s teaching career has taken her from Wellesley High School where she served as a mathematics teacher to Lesley College as a mathematics instructor and then on to Boston University where she initially served as a teaching assistant and finally to her current position as an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator in Mathematics Education at the School of Education. Carol has received rave reviews about her teaching from her university students and colleagues. She is a superb educator, modeling the attributes of a fine teacher. She is respected and admired by all for the enormous time that she spends with both undergraduate and graduate students to be sure that they have deep understanding of the central concepts of mathematics, that they are successful in their study of mathematics. Carol challenges her students mathematically, nurtures their interests in teaching mathematics, and helps to secure their dedication to the teaching profession. In addition, Carol has designed and taught courses for the professional development of teachers in many school districts in the Boston metropolitan area, as well as school systems throughout the northeast. She authored professional development courses for teachers, and was videotaped teaching those courses. These tapes have been aired by WGBH and are being made available to other educational television stations in the U.S. Carol is a prolific author. Her materials focusing on algebra and problem solving have had a major impact on instructional programs throughout the United States. She served as lead author or co-author of the Groundworks Series focusing on algebraic thinking, measurement sense, and number sense that was published by McGraw Hill. She edited the Student Math Notes for NCTM and has served as the lead problem writer for Figure This, a major project of NCTM to increase public awareness of the importance of mathematics education. She is currently co-author of the eight-book Pre-kindergarten through Grade 2 Navigation series that accompanies the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, and published by NCTM. She is a contributing author and co-editor of a monograph on algebraic thinking that is part of the NCSM monograph series focusing on leadership issues in mathematics education. Carol has also worked on several funded projects that involved the development of prototype instructional materials. All of her writing is illustrative of her deep understanding of mathematics, of ways in which to help students acquire key concepts, and of her creative talent for placing mathematics in settings that are most engaging.
In addition to her leadership role as a program the mathematics program coordinator at the School of Education, Carol has served on the Board of the National Council of Supervisors of Math as regional director for the Northeast U.S. As director, Carol has organized workshops and programs to update leaders in the mathematics communities. As part of the Spotlight Series that appears in the NCSM newsletters, Carol has interviewed local leaders in mathematics education about their leadership talents, and has carefully turned those interviews into articles about the contributions of our gifted peers. The newsletters reach more than 3200 mathematics education leaders in North America. Carol has been an active member of ATMNE, ATMIM, NCSM, NCTM and the MAA for many years. She is a highly regarded speaker, having given talks throughout the United States and Canada, for her professional organizations. Recently, Carol was recognized for her contributions to mathematics education in New England with the Balomenos Award for her outstanding service to the profession. When asked to describe the impact that Carol Findell had on her career, a former student said, “Dr. Findell is a gifted teacher. She has a way of getting her students excited in every mathematical challenge. Any student that attended any of Dr. Findell’s classes experienced an extraordinary opportunity to see a master teacher. She made us all aware the beauty of mathematics in our world. Dr. Findell’s ideas have influenced how I look at mathematics education. She has helped me to understand what it means to be a leader in mathematical education. Either as a student or as a peer I am enlightened with new knowledge and inspired by Dr. Findell to work even harder to promote better mathematical education.”

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Susan Friel

Susan Friel’s career is a testimony and the epitome of achieved success through self-confidence, personal high motivation, hardwork, perseverance and dedication. Susan’s career began as a teacher of all subjects in the Braintree and Lexington Public Schools and then to a position as lecturer at the Metropolitan College of Boston University. Now there was no holding Susan back; her career path took her to Lesley College where she held a variety of positions and responsibilities. While at Lesley College she advanced to the position of Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. Later she became Vice President and Dean of the Undergraduate School and then assumed the position of Director of the Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology in Education. Also while at Lesley, she conducted weeklong courses in Computer Literacy and also taught a wide range of mathematics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Massachusetts’s loss has become North Carolina’s gain. While at the University of North Carolina Susan has served as Associate Professor and Facilitator of Mathematics Education K-8; she has developed and taught numerous mathematics courses for elementary and middle school teachers; she has served as the developer and leader of the Durham Cohort of K-8 Teachers enrolled in the M.Ed Program, and she has been the Director of the UNC Mathematics and Science Education Statewide Network of Professional Development for K-12 mathematics and science teachers. In over 20 years as a mathematics educator in Massachusetts, Susan worked to improve the cause of mathematics education in our state while serving on numerous ATMIM Boards, and was a moving force on a variety of projects, and conferences. Susan made positive impact as teacher, presenter, and leader. Susan has boundless energy for whatever project she undertakes whether it is preparing a newsletter or co-chairing a program committee for a NCTM Conference. She has a broad array of skills and expertise so that whatever she undertakes is well organized, capably executed, and successful. She is articulate, committed, and has a vision for the improvement of mathematics education combined with the talent to achieve the goals that emanate from her vision. Susan was responsible for developing a solid mathematics education program at Lesley College. She promoted not only mathematics education there but in particular was a strong advocate for including technology in all levels of mathematics education. She and Ricky Carter were pioneers and led many workshops that introduced Logo and other technology to area teachers. Susan was also one of the early advocates for statistics education for all students from the early years onward. In fact, the reason she left MA for NC was to lead a Teach-Stats Network in NC. Susan and a small group of mathematics educators across the country saw the need to band together to labor for a cause. The efforts of this group led to the founding of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. This organization is now thriving and has particularly benefited all who have a commitment to pre-service teacher education in the nation&rsquos; colleges and universities. The work that has kept Susan the busiest and for which she has achieved a national reputation is her role as author and Co-PI of National Science Foundation grants to produce, field test and disseminate standards-based mathematics content and pedagogy that culminated in the highly successful grades 6- 8 Connected Mathematics Program. Susan has maintained active participation in NCTM and NCSM having served those organizations since her time in Massachusetts in numerous capacities. In particular she is currently the middle school editor for the NCTM Navigations Series. In summary, Susan Friel is a highly respected mathematics educator who has achieved as a vibrant, innovative teacher in the classroom, as a strong leader in professional organizations, as author and contributor of cutting edge materials for students. All of this work began and grew steadily while Susan was a mathematics educator in Massachusetts.

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Elected 2005

Pictured from left to right are Anne Collins, Jim Kaput, and Maria Marolda. Absent from picure: Ruth O’MalleyHall of Fame 2005

Anne Collins

Anne Collins has been actively and enthuastically involved as a mathematics educator in Massachusetts for more than thirty years. She has served the mathematics community as a classroom teacher at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. But that is only the top of the iceberg. Anne has assumed a variety of statewide leadership positions such as President of ATMIM and also as the state’s mathematics coordinator. At Boston College, Anne is the director of the Partnerships Promoting Student Achievement in Mathematics. Her impact on mathematics education is immeasurable and her energy in the delivery of sound mathematical practices is boundless. In this role, Anne uses a broad array of skills and expertise to help the “teacher in the trenches” be a modern day disciple for improving the quality of mathematics education in this state. Through this program of professional development activities with Anne at the helm, school districts have shaped their curriculum needs and established a vision for school improvement. Anne has been a much sought after workshop presenter at the local, regional and national levels. She currently serves the mathematics community as a professor, a consultant , and professional development provider to schools, districts, projects; an author for the news media, professional journals, and instructional technology materials. In addition to being the high energy, devoted and dedicated person that she is, Anne has also played a role as the Principal Investigator of a Raytheon Company Foundation grant and Noyce Foundation grant to implement standards-based mathematics content and teaching styles in selected middle schools in this state. As previously stated, Anne is a bundle of energy but she does have a weakness and now it will become public. Anne cannot say “No”. As Peg Kenney so poignantly remarked, “Anne’s vision is to help make mathematics instruction better in whatever way she can for all students in Massachusetts.” No doubt about it, Anne’s vision is 20-20.

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Jim Kaput

(1942 - 2005)
Jim Kaput, is a mathematics professor at UMass Dartmouth and he has been actively involved as a mathematics educator for over 35 years. Around the SouthCoast area of Massachusetts, Jim is known as the ‘math educator guru’. Many of his former students are now teachers in southeastern Massachusetts schools. A hallmark of Jim’s approach to mathematics education is his research projects on how students learn mathematics. This research conducted by Jim has been shared with colleagues in the math education profession at professional conferences and workshops here and abroad. In addition, a number of his many publications have also reflected on how students learn mathematics. Jim has been involved in many of UMass Dartmouth’s outreach programs. He is co-director of the Teaching and Learning Center as well as the Chancellor’s representative on the Regional Superintendents’s Collaborative. Jim is also the founding CEO of SimCalc Technologies, which offers dynamic simulations with graphing calculator software. In his spare time, Jim has also been instrumental in designing and developing course outlines for a MAT program at UMass Dartmouth. Jim serves on several editorial boards that serve the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematics Association of America. He has authored several books and contributed chapters and papers to NCTM publications. He has been involved with the MathLine Project - Algebra Strand for PBS and Mathematics of Change Project at TERC. Although Jim has influenced mathematics education on a national and international level, he still finds the time and energy to support, encourage and applaud the efforts of the unrecognized classroom teacher. It is easy to see why Jim is the recognized leader of mathematics educators in the Southeastern corridor of Massachusetts. His many supporters have reaped the benefits of his consistent effort and determination to improve mathematics education everywhere.

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Maria Marolda

Since the mid 60’s, Maria Marolda has been actively involved as a mathematics educator. She has served the mathematics community well as a teacher and as an assistant mathematics coordinator in the Newton Public Schools. Many school districts in the state can boast of faculty members who have been mentored by Maria while she served as a teacher trainer at Simmons College. Maria has been involved and recognized locally, regionally and nationally for her work and insight relating to neurology, neuropsychology, and mathematics learning. A great deal of her findings have been with mathematics curriculum issues and integrating the learning style needs of students and their connections with the NCTM standards. Her contributions to mathematics education has carried her to work with over 50 school districts statewide as well as with communities in such states as Connecticut, New York, Illinois and Ohio. Maria has been serving as a mathematics specialist at Harvard’s Children’s Hospital and is a sought after and articulate presenter for a number of workshops and lectures for student groups and university professionals. At the hospital, she is responsible for testing children for specific disabilities in mathematics, conferring with medical, psychological, and educational specialists to formulate general diagnosis and recommendations. Maria has published materials of value for mathematics educators through Cuisenaire, Macmillan McGraw Hill as well as for NCTM. Maria has had a very productive and challenging career. Her mission has been dedicated to understanding mathematics learning and development and assessing mathematics skills in children. Maria Marolda’s performance as a mathematics educator is a testimony and the epitome of achieved success through self-confidence, personal high motivation, hard work, perseverance and dedication.

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Ruth O’Malley

For over 40 years, Ruth O’Malley has been a devoted mathematics educator in the State of Massachusetts. Ruth has been a career teacher and Mathematics Department Chair at Palmer High School, Palmer MA. Her legacy has been as a workhorse for improving the teaching and learning of mathematics in the Commonwealth and beyond. She has served mathematics education with distinction and tireless dedication, her leadership helping to cultivate MATHWEST into a viable professional organization for teachers of mathematics in Western Massachusetts, including serving as a charter member and as its president during a critical growth period in that organization. She also was a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Mathematics Initiative, the State Wide Action Team and the Advisory Board of the Regional Alliance all of which contributed to the development of the first Massachusetts Mathematics Framework. Ruth rarely missed a meeting of any organization or committee and almost always added a critical and valuable “view from the field” to any discussion. That tradition carried over to her tenure as President of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England. For both MATHWEST and ATMNE she also served as NCTM Representative. Not so well known but equally important was her volunteer work with WGBY (sister station in Springfield to WGBH in Boston) were she made many behind the scenes contributions to both mathematics education and education in general. Ruth O’Malley was neither flashy nor a flash in the pan, but she has indeed made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of mathematics education and mathematics teaching in Massachusetts and beyond.

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Elected 2006

Pictured from left to right are Frank Fitzgerald, Erica Voolich, Betty Kantrowitz, and Jonathan Choate.Hall of Fame 2006

Jonathan Choate

For 39 years, Jonathan Choate has been an outstanding mathematics educator at the Groton School. He has been recognized as a leader in curriculum development and modeling teaching styles and strategies. For a quarter of a century, Jon has been an innovator and contributor in the areas of algebra for the twenty-first century, web feats, fractals and chaos, modeling in the K-12 curriculum and technology and dynamic systems. He has been a leader in the NSF project, Technology and Dynamical Systems, at Boston University. Jon is a much sought after speaker for local, regional and national conferences sponsored by ATMIM, ATMNE and NCTM. Jon is a prolific author with 6 publications to his credit. He has provided service and expertise to a number of professional organizations such as the Bank Street College, TERC and the Independent School Association of Massachusetts. Jon has been a state winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching.

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Dr. J. Franklin Fitzgerald

Frank Fitzgerald has been actively involved in mathematics education for 53 years. He has served as a major advisor, and as a research director at BU. His demand for rigor in mathematics and statistical design, his love of mathematics, his dedication to mathematics education, and his editorial talents, influenced many mathematics educators. For 31 of his 47 years at Boston University, Frank was program coordinator for mathematics education in the School of Education. He is a life member of NCTM and NEA. Frank served as President of ATMIM, as well as President of ATMNE. He was chairman of several committees and program chairman for several NCTM conferences. More recently, Frank has served as a reader for AP Calculus examinations and, for the past 6 years, has been a mathematics consultant to the Boston Public Schools.

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Betty Kantrowitz

Betty taught at Newton South High School for 22 years. Her love of mathematics and great teaching ability has benefited thousand of students. While at Newton South, Betty taught just about every course from a basic algebra to AP Calculus. Betty was always at the forefront of curriculum development. She kept current with the latest views in mathematics education and carefully blended them into the curriculum so that students would reap the benefits of her expertise. For the majority of her time at Newton South, she was the math team coach. The team consistently was a force statewide and regionally. From 1991 through 2004, she has provided countless workshops and seminars at meetings conducted by NCTM, ATMIM, and ATMNE. The range of topics span from student projects and portfolios to technology in the classroom.

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Erica Voolich

Erica, a grade 7 and 8 mathematics teacher at the Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton, has been involved in many aspects of teaching and learning for over 30 years and is the quintessential mathematics educator. Her work habits and experience span a broad spectrum of mathematics education. Her experience in mathematics education includes teaching at a variety of levels from elementary to college. Erica has been a prolific author of books and articles for a variety of professional companies and organizations. Using the funds obtained from being a Presidential Awardee, she developed the Somerville Mathematics Fund. As president of this grass roots organization, she has raised scholarship money for students who wish to pursue a career in mathematics and/or science.

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Elected 2007

Pictured from left to right are Don Barry, Paula Sennett, Kay Merseth, and Chuck Garabedian.Hall of Fame 2007

Don Barry

Don Barry is currently a member of the faculty at Phillips Academy, Andover. Don’s experience in education began in 1973 as a teacher and eventually department head at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey. For the past 27 years, Don Barry has been a mathematics teacher at the prestigious Phillips Academy.
For most of his professional teaching career Don has significantly impacted the growth of the American Regions Mathematics League, ARML, from a small region of the northeast to the current state of international growth. He coordinates and writes the problems that appear in the contest. Annually this contest impacts the lives of 2500 high school students across this country as well as Canada, Taiwan, Colombia, and the Phillipines. Most of these students spend months preparing for this nationally acclaimed team and individual competition. His task as ARML’s problem writer is to write fresh questions that will challenge the brightest and best prepared mathematics students. The problems require diversity in that they must exhibit a wide range of difficulty and be challenging for both the individual and team portions of this contest.
In Massachusetts, Don Barry’s name is on the short list of readers for the Massachusetts Association of Mathematics League’s annual Olympiad. He offers significant changes and fine tunes this contests that will be administered annually to approximately 3000 students state wide. It should be noted that the 2006 contest was written by post graduate students at Phillips Academy. These students are in an advanced mathematics class and this endeavor was a class project assigned by their instructor, Don Barry. Don’s problem writing skills were utilized to develop a terrific contest for students in the state as well as provide a wonderful learning experience for the students in his class.
Don has been a highly respected and sought after speaker for local, state, regional, national and international forums. He has made presentations at a number of ATMIM, ATMNE and NCTM meetings. He has provided a number of workshops and seminars for teachers in Massachusetts, New England, Canada, and Pakistan.
Throughout his career, Don Barry has been a prolific writer and contributor to mathematics education. He has authored two volumes of Phillips Prize Examinations (1983 and 2003). He has materials that math coaches can use when conducting practices for their teams as they prepare for the important competition. He wrote for the New England Association of Math Leagues contest book and co-authored the ARML contest book. He has authored articles that have appeared in The Mathematics Teacher, Quantum, Imagine, The Mathematics Magazine, and ARMLog. In all of these instances, many teachers and countless thousands of students have been impacted.
For his contributions and leadership in the American Mathematics Competition, Don has been the recipient of the Mathematical Association of America’s Edyth May Sliffe award. In addition, Don has been recognized as a Radio Shack Tandy Scholar.
Don continues to be productive and engaging. His energy and vitality makes him a wonderful role model for new and aspiring educators. In addition to his seemingly endless involvement and influence as an engaging speaker and mathematics contest writer, he still finds time to look at other aspects of his role as a teacher to research and write about his findings about the earliest origins of the Pythagorean theorem in 7 early civilizations.
Don Barry is a highly respected mathematics teacher, mathematics coach and mentor who has developed into a highly respected, vibrant and innovative mathematics educator. His voluminous writings and contributions can be described as challenging and inspirational for a wide range of students.

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Chuck Garabedian

Chuck Garabedian has brought service, honor and distinction to the mathematics community for 42 years, 36 of those years at Watertown High School and 25 of those years as the curriculum coordinator. During his tenure at Watertown, Chuck was highly respected for his energy, optimism and dedication to the improvement of teaching and learning of mathematics.
With a strong sense of hard work and committment, Chuck was able to secure funding for a host of new programs and professional development for his teachers. He was at the forefront of introducing graphing calculators into the classroom and making sure that all his teachers were trained in this new technology. Chuck was also instrumental in helping area school districts with this new technology by providing them with seminars and workshops.
Chuck was also a pioneer in lesson study, which is a method of curriculum revision, lesson planning and evaluation of classroom instruction for teachers at all levels of the educational spectrum. Through a variety of workshop and seminar presentations, Chuck was able to diseminate his work to other school districts.
Chuck has had considerable experience in training and developing teachers while serving as an instructor of Mathematics Methods at both Tufts University and Boston College. Chuck was also involved in the design and implementation of a five-year, 15 million dollar NSF project that provided a high quality professional development and master’s degree program in mathematics for urban secondary teachers. In this program, Chuck worked with mathematics and engineering faculty from both Boston University and UMass Lowell.
Chuck has been an active member of ATMIM, ATMNE, NCTM, the Eastern Mass Association of Math Department Heads and BAMS. He has served on the board of directors of several of these organizations.
In this region and for a significant period of time, Chuck has been an influential leader in mathematics education. He has found the time and energy to support, encourage and applaud the efforts of the unrecognized classroom teacher. All of those who have had the opportunity to interact with him have reaped the benefits of his consistent effort and determination to improve mathematics education.

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Kay Merseth

Kay Merseth’s career in mathematics education spans 39 years. In a span of 11 years, Kay had been a junior high school mathematics teacher, a high school mathematics teacher, a K-9 assistant mathematics coordinator and, a K-12 mathematics coordinator. She has been an adjunct assistant professor, the founding director of the Roderick MacDougall Center for Case Development and Teaching, a lecturer, dean and director of the Harvard Graduate School of Education School Leadership Program, Director of Research at the Harvard Children’s Initiative, and currently serves as the Director of Teacher Education Programs and Senior Lecturer at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.
Kay has made significant contributions to mathematics education locally, regionally and nationally. She is best known for three innovative programs; the first being founding and directing the MidCareer Math and Science Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Secondly, Kay is responsible for directing the Regional Math Network which involved collaboration among 17 businesses, 11 school districts including the City of Boston and Harvard University. This massive endeavor led to three published curriculum units. Thirdly, Kay was instrumental in the formation of the Mathematics Case Development Project which involved 12 secondary school mathematics teachers, mathematicians, and math educators to develop 22 sets of mathematics case materials, 11 of which have been published by Teachers College Press and are widely used in professional development for mathematics teachers at the secondary level. She is currently ready to submit for publication a second casebook for middle school math and special education teachers. Kay has been a prolific writer of grants to obtain funding for special mathematics projects. To date, she has written 48 grant proposals worth over 16 million dollars that have been specifically earmarked for improving mathematics teaching.
Kay has made presentations at meetings conducted by the American Education Research Association, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, the Holmes Group Center for Faculty Development and the Board of Regents of Higher Education. In addition, she has been a keynote speaker and seminar leader at various sessions of the National Research Council as well as the National Academies in Washington DC.
Kay has made a huge impact on teacher education with her numerous published articles, books and programs. Among the many are: Windows on Teaching; Cases of Secondary Mathematics Classrooms; Studies of Excellence in Teacher Education: Preparation in a Five-Year Program; General Math and the Geometry Teacher’s Edition for the Houghton Mifflin Company and a chapter in the NCTM 1978 Yearbook on Developing Computational Skills.
Kay’s current dedication is to recruit, train, and retain Boston’s next generation of mathematics and science teachers. To illustrate Kay’s focus in this endeavor, a man in mid-career left his research mathematics position to train under Kay to become a high school mathematics teacher in the Boston Public Schools. Without prompts, he sang Kay’s praises as he talked about his work with some very troubled inner city youths and success he was having in helping them enjoy and understand mathematics. This is just one of many snapshots of success stories that can be credited to Kay’s expertise in mathematics education.

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Paula Sennett

For over 35 years, Paula Sennett has been the consumate professional mathematics educator. From her appointment as the Coordinator of Mathematics for the Silver Lake Regional School District to her recent work as a consultant for Pearson/Prentice Hall, Paula has enthusiastically and distinguishedly served the mathematics community.
Her experience as an administrator, teacher of middle and high school mathematics, and staff developer has provided a multitude of teachers in the region with classroom, state of the art innovations and a clear message for committment and continued professional growth experience. Paula has demonstrated success in developing and enhancing teachers’ ability to teach the mathematics required for success in an increasingly complex and technological society.
Paula Sennett has been an active member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Mathematics Chairpersons Association as well as many other professional organizations including the Computer Science Collaborative at Bridgewater State College, ATMIM, ATMNE, MACS and CESAME. She has contributed significantly to all of her professional organizations both as a contributing member of the board of directors and has made presentations to the membership of these organizations on a regular basis. She has become a well-known and highly respected speaker and trainer in the area of standards based instruction in K-12 mathematics.
In addition to providing direction to her own school district and consulting in a variety of school districts in the area, Paula also has worked for a number of years as an adjunct professor at Bridgewater State College. Her major contributions were in developing and teaching courses for diverse teaching staffs of many Massachusetts’ inner city schools and enhancing their ability to teach in a standards-based environment. In 2003, Paula received a plaque honoring her for “Contributions to the growth of ideas and resources at Bridgewater State College”.

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Elected 2008

Pictured from left to right are Linda Dacey, Steve Yurek, and Paul Goldenberg.Hall of Fame 2008

Linda Dacey

Linda Dacey has been an active, contributing member of the mathematics community for over 30 years. She has made a profound impact at Lesley University by creating a Teacher of Secondary Mathematics Program, and developing the Department of Education Teacher of Mathematics guidelines for Grades 8 through 12.
Her far-reaching contributions at Lesley include the development and design of an on-line masters program in mathematics education. In the fall, Linda will chair the Lesley University General Education Task Force, which is a cross-college faculty study group that is being charged with reviewing and strengthening the General Education curriculum.
During the past two years she also served on the University Rank and Promotion Committee and as Chair of the Lesley College Fellowship Committee. Her peers as well as her students recognize Linda as an outstanding teacher. She is able to make the most hesitant student more comfortable and confident when engaging with mathematics concepts. She has mentored a wide range of Lesley students throughout her career, first-year students anxious about the transition to college, seniors considering graduate school, recent graduates seeking counsel around issues that arise in their classrooms, and doctoral students struggling with research questions.
Dr. Dacey's numerous publications, presentations, and in-service activities have influenced and enriched the teaching of mathematics in many classrooms across the country. Of particular note is her book Show and Tell: Representing and Communicating Mathematical Ideas in K-2 Classrooms and Math for All: Differentiating Instruction (K-2) co-authored with Rebeka Eston and Math for All: Differentiating Instruction (3-5) co-authored with Jayne Lynch. Both co-authors are former Lesley students highlighting the strong teacher-student relationship that Linda has developed.
Linda has been a dedicated educator focused on improving mathematics education for students and teachers alike in Massachusetts.

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Paul Goldenberg

It would be a very tremendous and thoughtful undertaking to create a hat for Paul Goldenberg to wear that would illustrate the many diverse roles he has played in his 40 years as a professional educator. He has been a teacher, a teacher/coordinator, a research scientist, a senior scientist, an adjunct professor, an instructor, an assistant professor, and an editor and for just over the past 20 years he has served Education Development Center in Newton, most recently as Distinguished Scholar.
He has had numerous publications appearing in a variety of professional journals. "Think Math!", “Early Algebra”, “Mathematical Habits of Mind” and “Getting Euler’s Line to Relax'', are some of Paul’s literary contributions to mathematics education. “Think Math!” is a K--6 curriculum that holds great promise for bringing serious mathematics to elementary students all over the country.
Dr. Celia Hoyles of the London Knowledge Lab describes Paul as a brilliant teacher, communicator and mathematics educator who has inspired many students and teachers on an international level in his well-organized and successful workshops and conferences. Everyone who has had the privilege of working with Paul has always commented on his enthusiasm for mathematics education.

Deeply ingrained in Paul’s mathematical thinking is the development of learning in young children, research design and analysis, curriculum development, computer-based learning, and mathematics content. Paul is a pioneer in the educational use of technology in mathematics, linguistics, and special education.Years ago, he could see the importance of using Logo as an educational learning tool. His more recent work reflects the use of Sketchpad, and computer algebra systems as a medium for building mathematical ideas.

Paul is impressive with his capacity to motivate and inform adult mathematics educators with the same sensitivity, insight, and effectiveness that make his work with younger learners so effective. Watching Paul interact with a group of teachers, one is struck by neither the reaction he engenders in his audience, though audience is not really the right word. Paul makes them feel like co-participants.
Paul has been actively involved with NCTM with his work as co-editor of the Technology Tips column of the Mathematics Teacher, and he co-founded the Delving Deeper department of Mathematics Teacher that creates a space for teachers to publish their own mathematical investigations.
Throughout his career Paul has demonstrated that he is a dedicated and engaging teacher, an eager learner of mathematical ideas, and an educator who is continuously searching for new knowledge.

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Steve Yurek

For over 30 years, Steve Yurek has been a genuinely dedicated, caring, motivating, effective and actively involved high school mathematics educator in Massachusetts. What makes Steve a giant in mathematics education is that his primary focus through most of his career has been with a very different and somewhat difficult group of learners, namely the high school vocational student. Steve’s accomplishments are mind boggling in that he has worked with and trained this caliber of student to enjoy mathematics, to be challenged by mathematics, be confident in their abilities and finally encourage and enable them to compete in the Worcester County Math League. This is a “Stand and Deliver” kind of accomplishment.
Steve has served as the President of WOCOMAL for 8 years, which is longer than any other individual has held that position. While at Assabet Valley Vocational High School, Steve conducted many staff development workshops that focused on technology with particular emphasis on spreadsheet and Geometer's Sketchpad use to enhance mathematics instruction.
Steve also has served on NEASC evaluation teams. He has been extremely active in many professional mathematics organizations for more than 20 years. Steve was the Sign Committee Chair of the ATMIM Spring Conferences from 1990-1996, as well as from 1998-2001. In addition, he also served as the Sign Committee Chair of the NCTM Regional Conference in 1998 and 2002. Most recently, Steve served as the Conference Co-Chair for the ATMNE/ATMIM Conference held in Springfield, November 2007. Steve has been an active member of the ATMIM board of directors. He has served as the membership chair and recently elected to the position of NCTM representative.
Steve is a tireless worker for professional organizations locally, regionally and nationally. He performs assignments in a timely, thoughtful and diligent fashion. He is very organized and completes a variety of tasks in a very efficient manner. His demeanor, when others became frazzled, invariably remained calm. As one may surmise by now, he routinely does more than was expected of him and frequently offered suggestions for improvement.

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Elected 2010

Pictured from left to right are Kay Tobin, Bob Willcutt, and Gloria Moran.Hall of Fame 2010

Gloria Moran

Gloria Moran has been involved in mathematics education for forty years in a variety of roles that include: a classroom teacher, a mathematics curriculum specialist at the district level, a mathematics education researcher, a higher education instructor and a professional development leader. During her teaching career, she also served as the Massasoit Math League math team coach.
Gloria has demonstrated involvement and dedication in providing a service that extended beyond the classroom. She served on the Assessment Development Committee for the grade 8 MCAS with the Massachusetts Department of Education. She is a highly regarded and frequent presenter at ATMIM, NCTM, NCSM, ATMNE and MACS conferences and also provides presentations in Perm, Russia through the St. Petersburg Water College. These multiple journeys to Russia where she interacts with her counterparts in that country has provided them with a wealth of understanding, knowledge and insight into mathematics education.
Gloria has also generously offered her services to numerous professional organizations as well as local and national government groups representing a broad range of concerns. ATMIM in particular has been the beneficiary of her efforts as an executive board member, scholarship committee judge, and a frequent presenter. A unique characteristic of Gloria is that when she is not presenting at a conference, she does come prepared to fill in for speakers who do not show up. That clearly demonstrates dedication!
Gloria was a participant at a National Science Foundation-sponsored institute in Discrete Mathematics at Boston College. For 3 weeks she was a full time resident student and totally immersed in exploring several discrete mathematics topics together with other New England teacher leaders. As a result of her active participation, she has given numerous presentations on discrete topics for mathematics educators.
Currently, Gloria Moran serves as adjunct faculty at Bridgewater State College. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Mathematics and Computer Science Collaborative. In addition, she has served as a manuscript referee for Teaching Children Mathematics as well as a panelist for the selection of Exemplary Materials in Mathematics for AAAS. Gloria Moran has been recognized by the American Association of University Women as the Eleanor Roosevelt Teaching Fellow and has earned the Plymouth County Teacher Award.

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Kay Tobin

For over 45 years Kay Tobin has served the mathematics education community as a teacher, program administrator, workshop leader, consultant, and author.
Kay began her teaching career in the Boston Public Schools and shortly thereafter in the Watertown Public Schools. While at Watertown, her talents were soon discovered and for nine years she served as the Assistant Director of Mathematics in that school district. Soon after, Kay became Math Specialist for the Lexington Public Schools, where she served for the next five years. During her tenure in Lexington, Kay was a much sought after mathematics resource. She also served as an independent education consultant as well as an adjunct professor at Lesley College and Suffolk University.
Kay’s reputation as a mathematics educator was like a comet flashing through the endless regions of space. She became the director of the Study Skills Program sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and she admirably served in this role for the last 18 years of her career.
Kay has provided leadership in such organizations as NCTM, ATMNE, ATMIM, MTA and BAMS. Her expertise and insight were most helpful to these organizations as they continued to serve the masses of teachers of mathematics.
Throughout her career as a teacher, program administrator, workshop leader, and consultant, she provided much needed professional development for teachers in many school districts in this country as well as in Canada and Mexico. Kay was a creative and innovative resource person as demonstrated by her developments in curriculum and summer programs for the school districts and national organization that she served.
Kay was an active and productive member of NCTM. She served as a Director for NCTM and also on committees such as: Instructional Affairs, Technology, Curriculum for the 80s, and the 62nd Annual Meeting in San Francisco. She was the NCTM’s technology advisor for Educational Data Systems.
Kay was co-author of NCTM’s An Agenda for Action and authored “Developing Computer Literacy” for the Arithmetic Teacher. She co-authored “Using Mathematics K-8” for Laidlaw Bros. Publishing. For the National Association of Secondary School Principals, she authored the Math Study Skills Program as well as the General Education Development Adult Study Skills.

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Bob Willcutt

Bob Willcutt was active in mathematics education in Massachusetts for 30 years while he was an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education and Associate Professor of Mathematics at Boston University. Bob’s innovative and effective teaching techniques were greatly appreciated and highly regarded by his university students. The Boston Public Schools were also quick to recognize Bob’s insight and teaching skills. For over ten years, he was a dynamic classroom demonstrator and mathematics television instructor for two federally funded projects for training elementary and middle school mathematics teachers.
In addition to Bob’s teaching and service contributions and commitment to mathematics education, he authored or co-authored 17 books and 14 articles. Bob made significant contributions in the area of spatial problem solving through his co-authored and authored books and numerous workshops. Problems similar to those in his three books on Building Algebraic Thinking Through Progressive Patterns that he published with Critical Thinking Books and Software now appear in most pre-algebra textbooks.
In addition to his dedication to the Boston Schools as well as other suburban districts, Bob also made frequent presentations at conferences of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England, and the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts. His areas of interest included problem solving in mathematics classrooms, the use of mathematics manipulative materials, spatial problem solving techniques, motivation in the teaching of mathematics, and teaching in inner-city schools.
Bob’s first publication was a co-authored book on mathematics methods for junior high teachers. He co-authored books on elementary mathematics and problem solving in the mathematics laboratory. Bob had two publications with Houghton Mifflin Company, one co-authored on mathematics problem solving and one co-authored on essentials of algebra. He has co-authored six publications with Cuisenaire Company of America. Bob was the author of five publications with Critical Thinking Books and Software. Furthermore, he authored 14 journal articles for the four NCTM journals and for several state mathematics journals.
Throughout his long teaching career, Bob was an active member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England, and the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts.
Bob’s strong leadership in urban education was highly recognized when he was asked to be an Adjunct Professor for the Harvard/Roxbury Mathematics Program. He then became the mathematics instructor and classroom demonstrator for EMAT (Elementary Mathematics and Teaching Project) for the Boston Public Schools. Bob touched and influenced many teachers who are quick to talk and rave about his wonderful training under this nationally funded grant during 1988-1999. During that same period of time, he was the Mathematics Television Instructor for In-Service Mathematics Instruction for the Boston Public Schools, a second nationally funded project. Both of these projects made a huge impact on teachers and students in the inner city. Many of the techniques he used in these training programs impacted his publications and presentations on a national level.

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Elected 2011

Pictured from left to right are Susan Weiss, Joan Martin, and Leanna Russell.

Hall of Fame 2011

Joan Martin

For close to 40 years, Joan Martin has served the mathematics education community. Her career began as a high school mathematics teacher in the Waltham Public School System. For the past 23 years and counting, Joan has held a variety of positions in the Newton Public School system. Even as a young mother of three energetic sons, Joan was able to continue her contributions to mathematics and mathematics education.
Joan’s outstanding teaching record at the Bowen Elementary School in Newton Massachusetts led to her being asked to become Acting Mathematics Coordinator for the Newton Public School System, K – 8, for 15 elementary schools and three middle schools. Following a year as a mathematics and science teacher at the Burr Elementary School in Newton, she became the Elementary Curriculum Specialist in Mathematics and Science for the Newton Public School System, this being the title she held for several years. She currently has the title Elementary Mathematics Specialist/Math Coach. In these various administrative positions, she presents numerous workshops and courses for teachers and staff and models and co-teaches lessons in elementary classrooms. She has coordinated the implementation of a new mathematics program and coordinated the development of curriculum support materials for system-wide dissemination. She is always ready to be supportive of teachers, students, staff, and school volunteer math tutors. Her professional development work is extensive and highly regarded at all levels.
In addition to her wonderful work in teacher training and the development of curriculum support materials for the teachers in Newton, Joan has worked for 25 summers as a staff member at the Boston College Mathematics Institute helping the late Stanley J. Bezuszka, S.J. and Dr. Margaret Kenney, often behind the scenes, with their courses, workshops, and publications. Within the mathematics education community, she is recognized for her insights into early childhood education in mathematics. Her recent doctoral research completed in 2009 at Tufts University investigated students’ insights into the topics of perimeter, area, surface area, and volume and has strong potential for replication and wider dissemination.
Joan has given over 30 workshops and presentations for professional organizations, including ATMNE Conferences, ATMIM Conferences, NCTM Conferences, NCSM Conferences, Boston College/Rutgers Discrete Mathematics Conferences, MASS Conferences, NSTA Conferences, the Head Start Program, and Lesley University Institutes.
Joan has four publications, her most recent one is a book entitled, “Integrating Math into the Early Childhood Classroom, co-authored with Vicki Milstein. She also co-authored an article, “The Secret of Anamorphic Art” with Art Johnson; co-authored with Dr. Margaret J. Kenney and Stanley J. Bezuszka, S. J. a book, “Informal Geometry Explorations” and co-authored with Mei-Hung Chiu and Anne Dailey, the article “Graphing in the Second Grade”.
Joan has served as a member of the review committee MTEL Middle School Mathematics and as a member of the review committee for MCAS cut-off scores. In addition, she has served as the Speaker Committee Chair for an ATMIM Spring Conference and Speaker Co-chair for the ATMIM Winter and Spring Conferences. In May 1998, she received the “Outstanding Educator Award” for the Newton Public Schools. She also received a Newton School Foundation’s Grant to participate in an International Congress on Mathematics Education held in Quebec, Canada.
Joan is always interested in learning new ideas in mathematics and mathematics education, demonstrated by her regular attendance at professional conferences whether or not she is a speaker or workshop leader. The most outstanding evidence of her continual search for knowledge is the Ph.D. that she earned in 2009 from Tufts University in Mathematics Education in the Mathematics/Science/Technology/Education (MSTE) program.

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Leanna Russell

For over thirty years Leanna Russell has served not only the mathematics community, but the science community as well. Although Proposition 2.5 was a crushing blow to many educators, it proved to be a blessing in disguise for mathematics educators who have had the benefit of connecting with Leanna Russell because her position as a biology teacher was eliminated but she was asked to continue teaching at East Bridgewater HS as a mathematics teacher. It is now evident that someone in that school district had the ability to recognize that a future leader was in their midst.
In a matter of six years, Leanna was selected for the role of Curriculum Coordinator for the East Bridgewater School District and held that position for 16 years. During her candidacy for that position, Leanna had the overwhelming support of her mathematics colleagues in the district. They too were well aware of the leadership qualities that Leanna possessed. During her tenure as Curriculum Coordinator, Leanna taught a few classes, but had the enjoyable responsibility of assigning classes for her teachers, hire new staff, advise administration on math related items, plan budget and order materials and equipment and supervise teachers.
When the position of Curriculum Coordinator for the Whitman-Hanson School District was posted, Leanna was a candidate and was selected by that district’s administration. In addition to teaching a limited schedule, Leanna’s role greatly increased by being asked to coordinate the transitions between the middle schools and the high school, visit middle school math classes to advise, assist and mentor teachers at that level and to assist middle school principals on math-related purchases and staffing decisions, and to informally assist the elementary schools in any mathematics related topic. Additionally, Leanna shares some responsibility in writing grants for elementary projects and has a major role in developing professional development activities in mathematics for all the teachers she services.
Leanna is an active member of NCTM, NCSM, ATMNE and ATMIM and is a regular attendee, speaker and committee worker and chair for these organizations. Leanna served on the Equipment committee. Chaired the Hospitality Committee Chair and served as a speaker for the NCTM Regional in Boston and at an ATMNE Fall Conference and the ATMIM spring conferences in 2006 and 2009. For approximately 15 years, Leanna has served on the ATMIM board in a variety of capacities. She had the responsibility of working on Scholarship Committee, preparing the newsletter and chairing the Spring Conference Committee. Leanna has also served as an Eastern 1 State Leader for NCSM.
Leanna has served as secretary of the Southeastern Massachusetts Mathematics Chairpersons Association and is currently in her 18th year as the president. This organization is a vehicle for mathematics leaders in this part of the state to share practices, Leanna has been a leading representative of Southeastern Massachusetts in the development of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and most recently having made contributions on the Common Core.
Leanna has been a valuable contributor to mathematics and computer science collaborative at Bridgewater State University. This group plans and provides professional development opportunities for the teachers in the local area. In addition, Leanna has also assisted in providing content institutes for middle school teachers at Bridgewater State University and Lesley University.
Leanna Russell continues to be an outstanding classroom teacher and mathematics curriculum leader. She has served as a model and mentor for many other teachers. She has worked diligently and made strong commitments to many professional organizations and has enhanced them with her thoroughness and leadership qualities.

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Susan Weiss

Susan Weiss began her teaching career in 1969 at the Jane Addams Vocational HS in Bronx, NY. Over the next 15 years she gained valuable teaching experience by working at the Westinghouse Voc HS in Brooklyn, the Sharon Public Schools, the New England Hebrew Academy and the Runkle School in Brookline. In 1984 and continuing to the present time, Susan has been a dynamic instructional leader and a “jack of all trades” at the Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton. Susan has served as a mathematics instructor for grades 4 through 8; she has worked as a Mathematics Specialist responsible for training teachers in mathematics and providing them with enrichment materials; she has conducted workshops for parents; and, she has trained teachers in using computers for classroom use.
Susan has also served as the school’s webmaster and that entailed developing a website, working with teachers in all aspects of integrating technology into their classroom. She has evaluated software such as Geometer’s Sketchpad, Microworlds, EX Logo, Kidspiration and Illuminations and developed workshops on how teachers may use these software advantageously in their classrooms. She has designed programs and reports that enhance the operation of the school.
In addition to the training that she has provided at the Solomon Schechter Day School and for well over ten years, Susan has served as a Lead Teacher for the Leadership Program in Discrete Math for the Summer Programs at the following sites: Rutgers University, Tufts University, Framingham State University, Dayton University and WPI. She has also been a consultant for Librarian for Technology using Follett Library Destiny Software and has also been a Lead teacher for New England NCTM Regional summer workshop entitled DATA.
It would be next to impossible to count the number of teachers that Susan has trained and influenced through professional development activities statewide, regionally and nationally. To name a few: Math Solutions 1 and 2, in Gorham, Maine; Project Best-Teacher Leadership Program; WGBH-MathLine Program: Classes taped with Carol Findell: Elementary School Math Project K-5; Spencer School, New York City: Week of using the program MicroWorld Logo; EDCO with Framingham State College: “Developing Green Technology”; Constructing Modern Knowledge Summer Institute for Educators: Manchester, NH; several Key Curriculum Online Course: using The Geometer’s Sketchpad.
Susan has still found time to be an active and contributing member and presenter for a number of professional organizations. Among these are BAMS; Phi Delta Kappa, NCSM, NCTM, Society of Elementary Presidential Awardees, ATMIM, MASSCUE, International Society for Technology in Education and the Somerville Math Fund. Among some of her presentations are: "Ways to Use Technology to Enhance Your Math"; “Colorful Ways to Learn Math”; “Planning a Family Math Fair”; and “A Trip to the Zoo with Mathematics”.
For her contributions in mathematics education, Susan has been awarded the following: the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation: Mathematics Institute, Princeton University; the HP Award for Best Lesson Plan in Massachusetts (Integrating Math with Technology); and The Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Elementary Mathematics for Massachusetts.
Among her publications are: Co-author for Shape and Dimension, Co-author for Curriculum for Discrete Mathematics Workshop for Leadership Program in Discrete at Rutgers University, PBS Video: Mathline: Elementary School Math Project, COMAP's The Elementary Mathematician, Zoos and Math; and several articles on technology for the ATMIM Math Murmurs Newsletter.
Susan Weiss has made numerous contributions to the advancement of mathematics education locally, regionally and nationally through her involvement in providing programs directed at training mathematics teachers.

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Elected 2012

Pictured from left to right are Doug Holley, Neelia Jackson, and Nancy Buell.
Hall of Fame 2012




Nancy Buell
Nancy Buell’s career as a mathematics educator began in the late 1960s as an elementary teacher / computer specialist for the Boston Public Schools. A decade later she began her service as an elementary teacher / mathematics specialist for the Brookline Public Schools. This association lasted for 18 years until her appointment as the K-5 mathematics curriculum coordinator for the Westwood Public Schools. Nancy has also been a model student by her formal education which includes degrees from Boston University, Goucher College in Maryland, Lesley University as well as numerous graduate credits from Mount Holyoke College. For over 40 years, students, teachers and parents have directly or indirectly reaped the benefits of being associated with Nancy and all that she has to offer in mathematics education. Her dedication and involvement in professional activities and organizations makes one wonder if she slept only on odd number days. Nancy was a teacher participant in the NSF sponsored Big Ideas Project that developed selected individuals to be curriculum leaders promote the big ideas in elementary education, student learning and teaching practice. Her work in this project was the basis for the material found in the publication Developing Mathematical Ideas (DMI). Professional development seminars soon grew from her work in DMI and that later resulted in presentations at a number of NCTM and NCSM annual meetings as well as ATMIM meetings. Nancy was a key contributor in the development of the first and second editions of the Investigations in Numbers, Data and Space curriculum materials. Nancy served as a field tester for this material and provided a great deal of information and feedback that was of great value for the development and dissemination of this nationally acclaimed teaching tool. Nancy has been associated with numerous mathematics workshops and presentations locally, regionally, nationally, for teachers, leaders, and parents. She was a developer and presenter of three series of parent workshops featured in Schools and Families: Creating a Math Partnership (Scott Foresman). Nancy also served as a host for classroom visits by teachers, community members, and reporters who wanted to see inquiry-based mathematics teaching in action and was the featured teacher in articles in the New York Times and the Boston Globe, and featured guest of the Math Medley radio program. For many years, Nancy has made significant contributions as a member of the Mathematics and Science Advisory Council of the Massachusetts Board of Education, a member of the Assessment Development Committee and Standard Setting Committee, grade 3 mathematics, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, as well as working as a member of the group that is selecting, reviewing, and modifying tasks and problems to align with the Common Core State Standards for the Illustrative Mathematics Project. This is an arduous, grinding, time consuming but necessary task in reforming mathematics education. In 2002, Nancy received a Presidential Award for excellence in elementary mathematics teaching. This prestigious award is best summarized in a statement from Susan Jo Russell letter of support, “Nancy has been a seeker of knowledge, willing to reflect on and learn from her own practice, both as a classroom teacher and as a facilitator of professional development, and also eager to learn from others. Throughout her career as a mathematics educator, Nancy’s work with students, teachers and parents are all components of her vision to make education reform a reality in Massachusetts as well as on a national level.






Doug Holley
For the past 45 years, Doug Holley has been an active and productive mathematics educator. Three of these years have been in Ohio and the past 42 here in Hingham, Massachusetts. From 1970 through 2001 Doug taught at the junior high school, middle school and high school levels. In 2001, Doug was appointed to the position of Director of Mathematics for the Hingham Public Schools and he has held this position for the past eleven years. It is noteworthy to say that Doug has taught every mathematics course that is offered in the Hingham Public Schools and that includes courses at the remedial, regular, college prep and honors levels. Doug is a summa cum laude, mathematics major graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio. He also has advanced degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Education and Northeastern University. In 2009, Doug earned a National Board of Professional Teaching Standard Certificate. In his career as a mathematics educator, Doug has been a master teacher, an outstanding departmental leader, and a knowledgeable spokesman for mathematics education. One cannot help but notice Doug’s exemplary subject matter expertise and his deep involvement, many contributions and personal commitment to mathematics education regionally as well as statewide. Hingham Superintendent of Schools Dot Galo, herself an outstanding mathematics educator, says of Doug “in his quiet manner, Doug does not always tout his many achievements. In fact, I doubt that he is as impressed as I am when I look back in print to his many accomplishments.” Among his accomplishments are development of an MCAS Skills and Strategies course for the weakest test takers and it has been noted that every Hingham High School student has passed the MCAS in time for graduation. He has successfully modeled team-teaching techniques with special education teachers so that their classrooms were more productive, interesting and displayed sound mathematical principles. As the mathematics leader in Hingham, Doug shares his expertise with all teachers by offering concrete suggestions to help with daily and long range planning, enhancing classroom presentations, promoting student involvement and holding students for a shared responsibility in their own learning. As Director of Mathematics, Doug is responsible for coordinating curriculum in grades K – 12. He also is responsible for supervising 24 teachers, including two elementary mathematics specialists and teaches a modified schedule at the middle school and high school level. During Doug’s administrative tenure, Hingham High School continues to have the highest mean SAT scores in mathematics in Southeast Massachusetts as well as having every student pass the MCAS in time for graduation. Doug is an active member of NCTM, NCSM, ATMIM, a member of the Executive Board of the Mathematics and Computer Science Collaborative, a professional development organization based at Bridgewater State University. He is a member of BAMS, treasurer of the Southeastern Massachusetts Mathematics Chairpersons Association and Math League, and Massachusetts Mathematics Association of Teacher Educators (MassMATE).. He is also a member of Phi Delta Kappa and ASCD. Doug has been a presenter and workshop leader for ATMIM, NCTM, Mathematics and Computer Science Collaborative, and ATMNE. Among his publications are: “An Audiotutorial Approach to Algebra,” in the New England Mathematics Journal, “Graphing Parabolas,” Mathematics Teacher, co-author with Steve Olson, and co-author of Mathematics for Technology, Laboratory Investigations (Introductory Level), a curriculum development project of the Applied Mathematics and Science Department at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Doug has assisted other school districts as a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges visiting teams. He has been a member of the Steering Committee for Hingham High School, a member of visiting teams to Wallingford, CT, Georgetown, MA; Maynard, MA, Tyngsborough, MA, Stoneham, MA and West Boylston, MA. Doug has a reputation as an inspiring, demanding, and talented educator.





Neelia Jackson
Neelia Jackson’s career as a mathematics educator spans over 40 years with the last 25 being in Massachusetts. Much of her formal education including being a math major and science minor was completed in Ohio. She continued to broaden her background via graduate courses at Portland State University, Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Northeastern University and Tufts University. Neelia has a broad range of instructional experience that includes teaching at Hanscom Air Force Base, The Community Learning Center in Cambridge, Concord-Carlisle Regional HS as a METCO Math Tutor, Eastern Nazarene College as an Adjunct Professor, Senior Instructor of the NITE Program at Cambridge College and most recently as a Mathematics Teacher and Secondary Mathematics Coach for the Boston Public Schools. She has taught mathematics from Grades 6 through high school and classroom situations that included special education and bilingual students. Neelia’s experience in a wide variety of classroom teaching roles as a mathematics educator has made her a very valuable addition in the mentoring and student teaching programs of Lesley University, Boston University and Harvard University. Many young interns and student teachers have reaped the benefits of her classroom expertise, knowledge and understanding as they forged careers in education. From the onset, Neelia was determined to make a difference as a mathematics educator in the Boston Public Schools. She was knowledgeable in her subject matter, creative in her approach to teaching, thoughtful in her execution of lessons and curriculum, and caring and dedicated in her interactions with students, colleagues and parents to insure a quality mathematics program. Throughout her career as a mathematics educator, Neelia took advantage of professional development opportunities to enhance learning in her classroom and she became the ideal messenger to promote sound mathematical learning in her classroom as well as those of her colleagues. She used technology to engage and challenge her students. Thinking was a valued classroom characteristic and participation by all was expected. Neelia was recognized by school administrators and peers alike as a leader and she headed a mathematics professional development team whose purpose was to promote sound mathematics instructional practices in the classroom. Neelia became a consultant and workshop leader and instructor for Texas Instruments in using the graphing calculator as a important learning tool in the classroom. She has served Texas Instruments as a local, regional and national instructor in a variety of mathematical venues. Neelia has also been a Teachers Teaching with Technology presenter for NCTM and ATMIM. For many years, Neelia has been a member of ATMIM and served as President from 2009 – 2011. In addition, she also served that organization in the capacity of chair or co-chair for numerous spring and winter conferences. She has been a teacher leader for PALMS and served EDC in the CME project, the Project Transition and Algebra 1 Training Project. Neelia has also been involved as a Mathematics Coach for Northeastern University’s MathPower program and the Contemporary Mathematics and Technology for Mathematics Teachers at Boston University. Neelia has made and continues to make a difference in the teaching and learning of mathematics. She has demonstrated effective leadership, knowledge, enthusiasm, organizational skills, interpersonal and management skills throughout her career as a mathematics educator.




Elected in 2013


Regina Panasuk

Dr. Regina Panasuk (B. S. in Electrical Engineering,  M.S. Mathematics, Ph. D. in Mathematics Education) is currently Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  She was a high school mathematics teacher and Mathematics Chairperson at a high school in Leningrad, Russia, where she was recognized for Excellence in Teaching by the USSR Ministry of Education.  In 1986 Regina became an Assoc. Prof. of Mathematics Education at Leningrad Institute of Education where she won a prestigious Medal of Excellence.

Emigrating to the U.S. in 1990, Dr. Panasuk taught at UMass Boston and Salem State College, before joining the faculty at UMass Lowell in 1993.  She teaches mathematics and mathematics education to graduate students and has developed several original courses and works with local school districts to direct professional development and develop curriculum and teaching materials.  She conducts research on human cognition, teacher preparation in mathematics, and the
relationship between planning and classroom decision-making.

Dr. Panasuk became the initiator in 1995 of the Annual Symposium on Education Research and Practice and has been director ever since.  She is the editor of 18 volumes of the Colloquium Journal, which includes presentations at the colloquium, plus further related research articles.  She has obtained over one million dollars of grant money, all focused on projects to enhance student learning, provide teacher training, and conduct research to impact mathematics education.  In 2010, Dr. Panasuk developed a twelve-credit “Graduate Certificate in Teaching Elementary Mathematics”. 

Regina has worked with the Methuen Public Schools, has conducted numerous workshops in the greater Boston area and given 28 invited presentations including papers at the Mathematical Association of America Conference, the Annual International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics, and the Conference of Applied Statistics in Ireland.   From 1998 to 2000 she consulted on teacher education and professional development at Playanto Ancha University in Chile.  Furthermore, she has been on eleven panel discussions.  Dr. Panasuk is a prolific writer and has 48 peer-reviewed articles in a wide variety of prestigious journals including curriculum and methodological guides for teachers and twelve research articles.   She has led projects sponsored by the Board of Higher Education, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, PALMS, and the NSF Noyce Foundation.  She is a member of William Sadlier-Oxford Publisher’s Executive Committee of the National Advisory Board and is currently at work on a textbook series.

At UMass Lowell, Dr. Panusak won the Distinguished University Professor Award in 2011.  Professor Jay Simmons, Faculty Chair in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, wrote,  “I know of no educator who has done more than Regina Panasuk to develop and disseminate knowledge and to improve the ability of others to do the same.”  

In summary, Regina Panasuk’s total devotion and dedication to mathematics education makes her a stellar addition to the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.

Guy Roy

Guy Roy comes to us from Maine, earning his undergraduate degree from the University
of Maine at Orono {B.A. in both Mathematics and Education) with a minor in  Biology. Upon graduation, he joined the Plymouth, Massachusetts, (then Plymouth-Carver) school district teaching 8 years at the high school, and 8 years at the middle school. In 1987, Guy became Plymouth-Carver’s K-12 Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator, a position he held until he partially retired from it in 2004. 

Guy has had a huge impact on mathematics teachers in Plymouth and throughout the state. Kevin Sawyer, now Silver Lake’s Mathematics Coordinator was an inexperienced, long term substitute when he joined the staff at Plymouth North High School.  He remembers how Guy was supportive, empathetic and encouraging. Kevin noted, “Guy was respected by his department for his knowledge of mathematics and his ability to lead teachers in a direction of improved instructional practices, always committed to instruction that engages students, regardless of age or academic ability, in rich content using mathematical modeling, manipulatives and critical thinking.”

Last year at the Mathematics and Computer Science Collaborative Conference Guy presented a workshop Rates and Ratios explaining how these topics evolve in middle school.  He demonstrated how to align this curriculum with Common Core by showing their relevance in many activities. Guy has presented many good ideas at local, state, regional and national mathematics conferences and expresses them so well. Perhaps that is also why Guy is so sought after as a mathematics consultant in his “retirement” years. Over a dozen school districts have benefitted from long-term P.D. time with Guy.

But that’s not all.  Guy Roy has been a leader in the Massachusetts Mathematics Frameworks.  In the early years of MCAS, Guy was on assessment committees that established our model system of accountability, striking a balance between what theorists demanded and what teachers thought possible. He continued this role as a valued member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Mathematics Chairpersons Association. Over the years, DESE requested input from SMMCA. Guy provided a wealth of knowledge and insight in those responses.

In closing, tonight we recognize the contributions of a man who has made a positive impact on students and teachers, departments and districts. In shaping the content and pedagogy knowledge of teachers, he has helped to bring the understanding, appreciation and maybe even for some, the love of mathematics to those who worked with him. For these reasons, we joyfully induct Guy Roy into the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.




Elected 2014


Susan Jo Russell



Thomas Moore


Betty Bjork (posthumously)



Elected 2015


Kit Norris

Kit Norris is a long-time mathematics teacher and currently serves as an educational consultant in mathematics. Kit has been involved in mathematics education in Massachusetts since 1971 as a teacher and teacher trainer. Kit served as a teacher and department chair at the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA; as department chair at the Fay School in Southborough, MA; and as department chair and Director of the Academic Program at the Fenn School in Concord, MA.


Most recently Kit Norris served as an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate College of Education at Simmons College, teaching Methods in Mathematics for middle and high school teachers. Kit has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics because of her work developing successful teaching strategies for both students and teachers. Among her successful professional development programs is “First Steps in Mathematics.” In addition she received A Woodrow Wilson National Travel Team Award, and a Klingenstein Fellowship for study at Columbia University Teachers College.


Kit has given numerous presentations at NCTM, NCSM, ATMIM, ATMNE, and the New England School Development Council. She has co-authored publications and served on various committees, including the Program Committee for the 2015 NCTM National Conference in Boston. Kit is a member of the Board of Directors as Position Paper Editor, for the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. At the time of her induction, Kit was traveling nationally with a network of colleagues to work with teachers and administrators in urban districts in order to improve student learning and achievement.


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Elected 2016


Art Johnson


It can be said that Art Johnson had an extraordinary energy for helping teachersimprove their teaching of mathematics. One of the ways this energy is realized is in his long list of publications.  Art has written research articles, textbooks for K-12 students, textbooks for college students, articles for teachers and math specialists, and articles for the general public. The focus of much of his writing and research is in geometry, middle school mathematics and the history of mathematics but his influence went far beyond those particular areas.  Art’s contributions can be found in the New England Mathematics Journal, Connect Journal of Practical Math for Elementary School Teachers and NCTM’s journals, D.C. Heath, Pearson, Dale Seymour, COMAP, Didax, Prentice Hall and Boston University.

 

Art is a marvelous teacher! He has won numerous awards for his teaching including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Disney Corporation Teacher of the Year,  the Richard Balomenos Mathematics Education Service Award and the Tandy Prize for Teaching Excellence.  As a master teacher for the Chelsea Project, Art modeled exemplary classroom practices and conducted weekly afterschool courses for teachers. Art’s presentations and classroom activities reflected his knowledge of research on how students learn mathematics and his strong mathematical background. He used engaging classroom tasks that highlighted mathematical relationships and at the same time enabled him to model worthwhile pedagogy.

 

Art has served the professional organizations by being an Associate Editor of Mathematics Teaching in the Middle Grades; as a representative to the National Council of Mathematics Teachers from Council of Presidential Award; serving on the Mathematics Assessment Board; being an instructor of NCTM’s Geometry and Patterns Seminar; and Chair of NCTM Publications for regional Boston Conference.  He is also a member of  NCTM, NCSM, ATMNE and CPAM.

 

Art Johnson personifies the meaning of master educator; his induction into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Mathematics Educators is a fitting tribute to his outstanding career.


Faye Ruopp


After gaining her bachelor’s degree in mathematics/mathematics education, Faye Ruopp pursued two mastersdegrees, one in teaching and the other in the teaching of special needs, all the while teaching mathematics at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

 

Faye is an effective mathematics educator, who has made an impact on many students, schools, and school systems.  Having been a classroom teacher for twenty-one years at Lincoln-Sudbury High School, a college lecturer in mathematics and mathematics education for over ten years, a principal investigator on curriculum development projects, a mathematics consultant and instructional coach for schools, districts, and corporations, and an author, Faye has a unique and prestigious career that has improved the mathematics education in Massachusetts as well as in the United States and beyond.

 

While working at Education Development Center, Faye was instrumental in the creation of numerous curriculum programs and projects. Among them Impact Mathematics, a comprehensive middle school curriculum that completes a year of algebra by the end of 8th grade and Reaching Every Teacher, which was a local systemic change project designed for all mathematics teachers, grades K-12, in Waltham, MA. Faye was also the Project Director for Teachers, Time and Transformations, a project addressing the issue of algebraic teaching and learning across the grades. She was the Project Director for Improving the Math Performance of Low-Achieving Middle School Students. This project addressed the issue of middle school mathematics and staff development for teachers in Massachusetts.  Faye was a writer for MathScape: Seeing and Thinking Mathematically, a middle school curriculum project published by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.  Faye also wrote The Math with a Laugh Series in which she crafted math problems and her former student, Paula Poundstone, set the problems within funny stories.

 

At the state level, Faye has presented at Lesley College Computer Conference, Harvard’s Principal’s Center and School of Education, the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) Leadership Conference, and for ATMIM. She has also taught at Brandeis University, Worcester State College, and Salem State College. Faye was co-chair of  the 1995 NCTM Annual Meeting in Boston, and has presented for ATMIM, MTA, ATMNE, NCTM and NCSM.

 

Faye was a Lucretia Crocker Fellow, a distinction for Exemplary Teacher Initiated Programs. Her program was entitled, Student Team Learning. A strong proponent of effective cooperative learning, Faye conducted workshops on this teaching format for mathematics teachers in the state and region, and at the national level. Due to her high level of expertise and ability, Faye has been enlisted as a team member to evaluate mathematics programs in Massachusetts as well as throughout New England. These teams provide recommendations to make improvements in the district’s K-12 mathematics programs.

 

Faye Ruopp’s contributions to mathematics education have occurred over a long and distinguished career.


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Elected 2017


Deborah Schifter

Deborah Schifter has a long and varied career and has touched so many people locally, in the state, and nationally.  Deborah has worked as a mathematician, a teacher in K-12 schools, in a variety of preservice and inservice settings. She was at the Summermath for Teachers program at Mt. Holyoke for over 10 years, 5 of those years as its director, and now has been at the Education Development Center for almost 25 years. She’s an author of groundbreaking professional development materials, the Developing Mathematical Ideas series (just revised to now be published by NCTM); she’s an author on the Investigations K-5 curriculum, and has been a leader in mathematics education practice and policy, for example, as a member of committees for the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the National Academy of Sciences, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and as a co-author of the volumes on mathematics teacher education put out by the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, an important contribution to thinking about the education of teachers.

 

Deborah's work is built on her deeply held belief that all children are capable of making sense of mathematics and that the key to making changes in mathematics instruction lies with supporting and encouraging teachers to discover their own ability to do mathematics, and to see, analyze, and appreciate the mathematical ideas of their students.

 

Deborah’s respect for teachers is profound.  A hallmark of her work is bringing teachers' voices into the field of math education. In the early 1990s, Deborah conceived and implemented a project that involved Massachusetts teachers of all grade levels to come together to write about their work helping their own students make sense of mathematics.  Those narratives became the two-volume set, What's Happening in Math Class? which was awarded the Professional Service Award in recognition of an outstanding contribution relating research to practice by the American Education Research Association.

 

Teaching to the Big Ideas was a collaborative effort by Virginia Bastable, Susan Jo Russell and Deborah that focused on teachers observing in their own classrooms, noticing student learning, and writing classroom episodes to share would be a centerpiece of this program.  These episodes were the basis for not only our project participants’ own learning, but also could be the basis of professional development about elementary mathematics content and how students think about that content.  Over three separate NSF-funded projects, and over 15 years of development, these written and video episodes, became the core of seven professional development seminars, covering the content of the elementary curriculum.  Linda Davenport, the K-12 math coordinator in Boston commented that these seminars provide her teachers with an opportunity to dig deeply into important mathematics content, look analytically at what students are saying and thinking about that content, and think about what this means for the students in their own classrooms. 

 

Throughout her career, Deborah has always emphasized that learning from and with classroom teachers is essential to the work.  She pays attention to teachers’ ideas about learning and teaching, while, at the same time, challenging them to reflect on their practice. So many teachers in Massachusetts, and nationally, who worked with her went on to provide leadership in mathematics education in their own communities.

 

Deborah Schifter personifies the meaning of master educator; her induction into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Mathematics Educators is a fitting tribute to her outstanding career as a mathematics educator.

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Elected 2018

Marcie Abramson

As so eloquently depicted by Mathematics Hall of Fame member Joan Martin on “a perfect cube of a day in a perfect month” (June 27th), Marcie Abramson, a gifted mathematics teacher, a valued mentor, an outstanding presenter and prolific author was inducted into the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame. Marcie has been and continues to be a dynamic force in mathematics education in the state of Massachusetts.

 

Marcie taught for over 30 years at the Thurston Middle School in Westwood serving first as a teacher and then promoted to Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator.  Former Superintendent of Schools in Westwood John Antonucci who supported Marcie’s promotion to this important district wide position described her as “one of the district’s top talents…a leader among her peers; she has demonstrated what it means to be a lifelong learner; she was committed to continuous growth and improvement; and, most importantly, she was committed to students…”

 

As a lifelong learner, Marcie continues to attend conferences and lectures, and takes courses to learn about the latest research on how children learn and on how to form mathematics communities.  She seeks out that which will inspire her intellectual creativity to better her own practice in mathematics education.

 

Marcie’s influence extends well beyond her professional beginnings in the Westwood schools.  She has developed numerous workshops and courses for diverse institutions such as: Massachusetts’s DESE; Roger Williams University and Lesley University.  In addition, Marcie has supervised mathematics student teachers from Boston University and is currently an adjunct professor at Brandeis University and is a team member of Teach 21.

 

Marcie has presented at ATMNE and NCTM conferences. Her latest presentation was the 50th Anniversary Musical performed at the Washington DC conference of NCSM in the spring of 2018. Co-collaborator for this performance, Carole Greenes, wrote “Marcie’s knowledge of mathematics, how mathematical concepts grow in complexity, and how to structure activities to enhance student (and teacher) understanding, along with her unique ability to relate to teachers … make her an outstanding and sought after professional development leader.”

 

Along with her presentations and performances, Marcie has a list of publications some of which were in collaboration with others such as Trivia Math, A Problem a Day, Amazing Facts and Real Problems and The Prime Times.  Also her notable book Painless Math Word Problems geared for those special middle school students whom she cherishes.

 

Stonehill College’s Kate Marin wrote: “Marcie often refers to the giants in our field, many of whom are close friends and mentors but she does not count herself among them.”  Unequivocally, she belongs in that field. When teachers talk about Marcie they refer to how “relatable and genuine” and “encouraging and inspiring” she is.

 

No doubt that Marcie is an outstanding mathematics educator and extraordinary human being.  She has brought joy and understanding to many students, parents, teachers, and administrators. With open arms, Marcie Abramson is welcomed into the Massachusetts Mathematics Hall of Fame.


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June Mark

June Mark, a major contributor to the Education Development Center was inducted into the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.  June’s career at EDC has spanned 30 years! She has been instrumental in setting the course for EDC’s contributions to mathematics education, locally, regionally, and nationally. She is a writer and a teacher and a colleague of the hundreds of teachers across the country that know her and work with her. Inside EDC, she is considered “the glue” that keeps the mathematics education research and development on a steady and forward-looking path.

 

June Mark is the co-director of Transition to Algebra, an innovative middle–high school curriculum designed to help students make their way into high school mathematics. This program’s distinguishing feature is to go beyond skill development to help students develop the mathematical thinking that underlies algebra: generalizing from numerical examples, seeking and using structural similarities between contexts and between systems, and using precise language as a means for communication and for refining insights. The program is in use across the country, and teachers love it.

 

June prides herself at being a teacher of teachers.  Her motivating force is to help classroom teachers understand the connections between mathematics and their classroom practice. Part of her skill was honed

over years as a professional curriculum developer, where she spent countless hours in classrooms, polishing her design principles and develop materials and resources that helps teachers understand and use

The Standards for Mathematical Practice as they are detailed in both the Common Core and the Massachusetts Frameworks.

 

In her search for new ways to improve education, June in collaboration with UC Berkeley and the New York City Department of Education is heading up a team that is developing an AP Computer Science Principles course that is based on a course developed at Berkeley that revised for high school use, programming in Snap!  This program uses Snap as a medium to develop computational thinking and the habits of mind that underlie computer science. These habits of mind have a substantial intersection with the mathematical habits of mind that June helped define back in the 1990s.  This program is also designed to attract non-traditional students (especially female and underrepresented minority students) to the breadth and depth of ideas in modern computer science, and reports from teachers (and results from the first AP exam) show that kids in NYC are indeed benefitting from the experience.

 

Mathematics Hall of Fame member Paul Goldenberg has define June Mark as mathematics education powerhouse and that description surely fits her considering her association with the volume of program involvements and publications produced.  With this in mind, June Mark is welcomed into the Massachusetts Mathematics Hall of Fame.




Elected 2019


Donna Pappalardo

Donna Pappalardo has been a long time mathematics educator. She began teaching mathematics in 1976 at the Joyce Junior High School in Woburn, MA and now in 2019, she is still working in mathematics education as a coach/interventionist at the Lt. Job Lane Elementary School in Bedford, MA. Donna has served in many roles in mathematics education spanning all levels of schooling

including her work as a classroom teacher, mathematics department head at Andover High School, adjunct faculty or lecturer at the University of Lowell, Salem State, Simmons College, Lesley University, and Merrimack College.


In addition to her teaching, Donna demonstrated her leadership in mathematics education in multiple domains. She served as the Co-chairperson for the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Committee for the original statewide frameworks. Her intimate knowledge of the frameworks made her a valuable member of the MCAS development committee where she served on the development and review of items for the grade 10 assessment. Donna was also recruited by the DESE to facilitate its Institute of Educational Reform. Throughout the above mentioned leadership endeavors, it is clear that Donna has greatly influenced mathematics education in Massachusetts and New England.


Donna was instrumental in advancing the mathematics curriculum at Andover High School. Through her efforts, support for her teachers, the high school gained recognition as an Intel School of Excellence. Donna brought standards-based curricula to all grade levels in Andover including Everyday Mathematics, Connected Mathematics Project, and IMP. She was able to increase the

number of AP courses offered to the Andover students. In terms of program development, it might even be said that as the co-chair of the Mass Curriculum Frameworks, Donna influenced an improvement in mathematics content across the State. Of course the statewide changes did not come to fruition until the MCAS was developed to assess the learning standards in the frameworks but since the assessment was rigorous all students finally had access to high quality mathematics content.


Donna has been recognized for her excellence in the teaching and learning of mathematics many times. In 1997, she was a state finalist for the Presidential Award for Teaching in Mathematics. She was also a finalist for the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, also in 1997. She was also awarded the Berger Exemplary Teacher Award for the Reading Public Schools in 1995.


Donna also served as a facilitator for the Merrimack College Mathematics Directors Think Tank. As she became a noted facilitator for all things mathematics, she also served as the Co-chairperson for the Restructuring Committee at Reading Memorial High School.

She is a well-respected presenter at conferences and facilitator of many workshops both in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, not to mention to members of the ATMNE states. A devoted member of ATMIM, Donna served on the Board of Directors and was the President-Elect, President, and Past-President. In these roles, she also represented Massachusetts on the Board of Directors of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England (ATMNE). Donna has been a long time member of ATMIM, ATMNE, NCTM, and NCSM. An active member, she has presented at each of their conferences.




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Elected 2020


Virginia Bastable

Virginia Bastable is a highly respected math educator whose work has inspired teachers, coaches, and administrators in countless ways, over many years.


Virginia was a mathematics teacher at the Amherst Regional HS from 1967–1993. During that time she was awarded a MS degree from WPI and an EdD from UMass Amherst. From 1986 to 1993, Virginia held positions of Visiting Instructor and Assistant Director of SummerMath at Mount Holyoke College. From 1993 to 2015, Virginia was the director of the SummerMath for Teachers at Mount Holyoke College where she focused, designed and supervised summer institutes for K–12 teachers to help them understand mathematics, mathematics learning and mathematics teaching.


Virginia was also part of a team of mathematics educators that advanced, field-tested and revised the Developing Mathematical Ideas professional development series. DMI addresses seven mathematical topics each with a casebook and facilitator’s guide. The DMI materials have been used in Houston, TX, St Joseph, MO, and Nashville, TN for summer institutes and academic year programs for K – 12 teachers. Virginia has presented at NCTM and NCSM national and regional conferences with such topics as “Support Math Reasoning By Linking Arithmetic to Algebra” and “Examining the Meaning of Division with Story Contexts.” Virginia has been a co-author of many publications. Among these are: Developing Mathematical Ideas: Patterns, Functions, and Change; Developing Mathematical Ideas: Reasoning Algebraically about Operations; and Developing Mathematical Ideas: Examining Features of Shape.


Although Virginia retired from Mount Holyoke College she still finds time to return to Mount Holyoke College to teach each summer, continues to teach online courses, and participates in a professional development program for Los Angeles public schools, where she now resides.  Throughout her career, Virginia has taught and inspired thousands of high school students and thousands of teachers. She has supervised hundreds of educators in leadership roles, and she has created a program that will continue to support mathematics leadership for many years to come. It is an honor to welcome Virginia Bastable to the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.


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Vicky Gruneiro

Vicky Gruneiro has been a long time mathematics educator. She began teaching mathematics in 1987 in Springfield as a high school mathematics teacher.  She is still working in mathematics education as an assistant professor at Bay Path College in Springfield. 


Vicky has served in many roles in mathematics education spanning all levels of schooling including her work as a classroom teacher, mathematics chairperson at the administrative level, adjunct faculty  and currently as an assistant professor.  In addition to her teaching, Vicky demonstrated her leadership in mathematics education in multiple domains. Her district leadership is second to none. As Springfield’s Mathematics Supervisor/Director the district implemented reform curricular at each grade span, provided professional development to all teachers, collaborated with Lesley University on both MMSP Title II grants as well as with the USDOE’s Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow grant. Her work on these grants enabled 350 teachers to learn how best to implement their new curriculum and 35 teachers to earn their Master’s Degree in Mathematics Education. Vicky also collaborated with other districts in the Pioneer Valley, including but not limited to Holyoke and East Hampton. 


Vicky brought standards-based curricula to all grade levels in Springfield including Investigations, Connected Mathematics Project, and IMP. She was able to increase the number of AP courses offered to the Springfield students. Vicky was responsible for arranging and coordinating professional development for all mathematics teachers in a concerted effort to ensure the successful implementation of the new curriculum.  She arranged summer professional development to teachers joining the district. She did this every summer to again ensure the newer teachers understood how to implement the curriculum. Vicky has been recognized for her excellence in the teaching and learning of mathematics with a 1993 Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Harold Grinspoon Distinguished Teacher Award in 2004. 


Vicky had been very active in presenting professional development in the Pioneer Valley. Not only did she present at the Springfield NCTM regional conference, but she also taught a group of parents in the Holyoke Parents University. Her presentation was designed to help parents understand their own mathematics anxiety as well as how anxious their children may feel about mathematics. She is an active presenter of workshops at BayPath University.  Vicky is active in providing presentations on the local, regional, and national levels. At the annual summit held by the USDOE she presented at the Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow Summit in Washington, DC.  She was also asked to present at the MMSP Title IIB conferences annually for the life of the grants. These annual meeting were also in Washington DC and her audience was leaders from Massachusetts as well as from each of the fifty states. 


Vicky recently earned her Ed. D. which is at least a tribute to her continued thirst for learning. While in Springfield she worked with Mt Holyoke’s Summer Mathematics Program as an instructor. She also invited and had the district pay for teachers to attend this informative summer program. She has always stayed current on the programs required by the DESE as well as the professional development supported by NCTM, NCSM, and the NSF.  Vicky Gruneiro is very deserving to be a member of the Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.


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Ellen Metzger

Ellen Metzger has been involved in Mathematics Education in Massachusetts for over 21 years.  She was Math Curriculum Specialist for the Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, MA from 1998 – 2008, following her having been an Elementary Teacher there from 1989 – 1998. She has been District Math Content Leader and Grades 5–8 Math Specialist for the Lincoln Public Schools.


At the Learning Center for the Deaf, Ellen taught math courses at various grade levels  1–6; performed individual student math assessments; provided pull-out and in-class support for students struggling with math; trained and supported teachers (K–12) in math content, in teaching strategies, and in curriculum selection and implementation; led parent workshops; and ran math nights. 


In Lincoln, Ellen guides teachers of grades 5–8 in aligning current math curriculum materials with common core standards and in providing differentiated instruction; works with students in class and in small groups to provide support and enrichment on various mathematical topics; and collaborates with the assistant superintendent and other mathematics specialists to make district-wide decisions for K–8 math curriculum. Ellen currently works with teachers on using data to inform instruction, on having students reflect on their own learning, on differentiating instruction, and on extending learning for high-achieving students.  She has designed and implemented curriculum around statistics, figurate numbers, binary numbers, and the use of spreadsheets, among other topics.  She has worked with teachers to choose two different standards-based curricula for the middle school and helped teachers implement them.  She has helped implement standards-based elementary math curriculum in both Lincoln and at the Learning Center for the Deaf.  She has also helped to revise and embellish the elementary math curriculum in both places.


Ellen has led many sessions at ATMIM, ATMNE, and NCTM conferences.  She has also presented at Discrete Math and MASSMATE conferences.  Her topics of presentation have included the use of language in mathematics from the perspective of deaf education, teaching about connections within the metric system, teaching topics of discrete math, making math visual, making algebra visual, games in the math classroom, the use of Pencil Code (programming environment for students of all ages), and statistics in middle school math. Ellen has had published: The Role of Language in Mathematics Achievement of Deaf Students, She also contributes ideas to online webinars on a regular basis.  Ellen has been an active member of BAMS meetings regularly and is much involved in the various professional discussions about mathematics teaching. Ellen also works at maintaining virtual connections with other teachers to contribute and learn: for example, she contributed several problems to Robert Kaplinsky’s Open Middle website, to CMP3 Discussion Facebook page, and various other virtual learning forums for math teachers. 


Ellen has served on the ATMIM Board running the high school scholarship awards program and contributing to “Math Murmurs.”  She coached a MathCounts team for middle school math competitions bringing a group of students each year to compete at the MetroWest Regional MathCounts competition.  In 2014, Ellen was the winner of ATMIM’s Rev. Stanley J. Bezuszka, S.J. Achievement Award for Mathematics Teaching and Learning.  In making Ellen’s nomination for this award, Dr. Joan Martin wrote this about Ellen:  “Her dedication to the teaching of mathematics to school age students is stellar. …She offers alternative approaches to instill enthusiasm for mathematics and speaks with authority on teaching children mathematics without being condescending.  Her unassuming nature is refreshing. …Ellen is a humble individual, who cares deeply for her students and for the teachers with whom she works so closely to improve their practice of teaching mathematics.  Ellen embodies the essence of the math educator that Fr. B. was.”   


Ellen is constantly and actively seeking out learning on a regular basis by participating in online webinars and researching topics to learn new ideas for her teaching.  She has participated in many professional development opportunities, including “Summer Math” at Mount Holyoke and Texas Instrument workshops.  Five years ago, she attended the American Statistical Association’s “Meeting within a Meeting” conference (MWM) for middle school teachers to learn more about teaching statistics in the middle school.  She took online Advancement Courses on Growth Mindset in the fall of 2017, and also took an online JavaScript course through Kahn Academy.  In addition to being fluent in American Sign Language, she has worked on learning Spanish as an adult in order to teach math in Spanish and to speak with parents of students who have limited English.  Currently she is working one-on-one with two immigrant students in grades 5 and 6, teaching them math primarily in Spanish.  She has also studied French and Italian, and is currently studying Modern Greek! 


Ellen Metzger has made many contributions  in mathematics education that illustrates that she is most deserving for induction into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Mathematics Educators.



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Filiberto Santiago-Lizardi

Filiberto Santiago-Lizardi is a dedicated, creative, and effective mathematics educator, who has made an impact on many mathematics teachers, educational leaders, and most importantly on many students, and particularly students of color, ranging from elementary school children to adults.  


Filiberto has been a mathematics educator in Massachusetts for over 30 years, 28 of them in the Boston Public Schools (BPS). He has taught at the James P. Timilty, Henry Dearborn, and Thomas A. Edison Middle Schools. He has served as a department head, a mathematics coach, mentor and lead teacher, as well as a bilingual teacher. Filiberto has also been a college instructor, workshop presenter, a member of curriculum design and implementation and assessment teams, an implementor of web-based tutorials, and a contributor to televised educational programs. Filiberto has served on the ATMIM board in a number of capacities. He has been honored numerous times for his dedication and inspiration to students and for his excellence in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Filiberto has witnessed the many changes and subsequent demands in mathematics education. He has been instrumental in shaping standards-based mathematics curriculum in the BPS.


Besides fine-tuning his own classroom teaching and individualizing for the needs of his students, Filiberto has extended himself beyond the school day and the school year dedicating his time to improve the curriculum for students. For three summers, Filiberto was instrumental in designing the curriculum for the BPS, Escalera/Alas Steps to Success Program. This program supported high school students, who would be the first in their family, aspiring to attend college. He set grade-specific academic standards and rubrics, and designed end-performance tasks. Filiberto was an integral leader of the BPS, Agile Mind/Academic Youth Development (AYD) Summer Bridge Program at Northeastern University. In this capacity, Filiberto taught Number Theory, Data and Statistics, Geometry, and Algebra. Filiberto implemented an online tutoring program that used web-based tutorial program called “ Skill Tutor” to address individualized mathematics needs of students. Filiberto has conducted extensive professional development workshops for BPS middle school teachers in all topics of mathematics, including geometry, algebraic thinking, number theory, and problem solving. He has highlighted successful classroom pedagogy, importance of standards-based curriculum, and critical analysis of student work. He has included the use of alternative assessment and portfolios and stresses the necessity of rigorous content instruction and high expectations so that all students will succeed. Filiberto has written mathematics curriculum for the BPS. He developed an enhanced curriculum guide document for the BPS 8th grade mathematics teachers, using specific units of The Connected Mathematics Project (CMP). Filiberto wrote math problems and content questions and included graphical, linguistic, and numerical strategies and solutions in the completion of the document. Also for BPS, he authored the “Patterns Activity” portfolio product used in the middle schools.


Filiberto has presented at the Discrete Mathematics Conference at Boston College, the ATMIM Spring Conference, the Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts (BEAM) Conference, and was a panelist for Beginning Teachers Conference, a mini-conference within a NCTM Regional Conference. Filiberto was a participant in the Television Workshop Series that was produced by WGBH in connection with Annenberg Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). His involvement included teaching mathematics content, discussing assessment tools, exposing exemplary practices, and instilling ways to have students take on more responsibility for their own learning.


As an ATMIM board member, Filiberto has contributed and served in a variety of roles such as:  member of the awards committee; the ATMIM conferences and Dine and Discuss events; and ATMIM’s Liaison to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).  As the ATMIM representative at DESE, Filiberto participated in the MCAS Standards Setting Policy Committee. Filiberto’s strong understanding of the complexities of teaching rigorous mathematics in an urban setting to students of color was greatly appreciated. Filiberto is also active in TODOS: Mathematics for ALL. This international professional organization advocates for equity and excellence in mathematics education for all students – in particular, Latina/o students.


In his distinguished career, Filiberto has made a state-wide impact on mathematics education with his participation on DESE committees. Among the many awards for leadership in mathematics education are the following: Certificate of Recognition for Inspiring Outstanding Student Achievement in Mathematics from TODOS: Mathematics for ALL; the Latino Educational Excellence Award in Massachusetts; the Rev. Stanley J. Bezuszka, S.J. Achievement Award for Mathematics Teaching and Learning; the Boston Partners in Education Teacher of the Year Award for his outstanding work in the planning and implementation of a mentoring and tutoring program; the Stay-in-School Award sponsored by the PBS and the Boston Celtics recognizing his leadership work in implementing and further supporting programs outside of the regular school day, included among them an after-school math tutoring program and a Saturday school math enrichment program. 


Filiberto is a life-long learner. After having acquired both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, Filiberto pursued a master’s degree at Brown University in applied mathematics, a subject that he thoroughly enjoyed and loved. His passion for mathematics and his desire to share it with others drove him to obtain a master’s degree in Education with a secondary mathematics concentration. With Spanish as his first language, Filiberto identified with English-language learners. Wanting to better serve them, he obtained a master’s degree in Bilingual Education. Filiberto views educating students in mathematics, providing professional development for teachers, and being involved in state- wide decisions impacting many students to be a dynamic enterprise filled with great challenges. In order to maintain his high level of commitment, rigor and intellectual depth, he actively seeks the knowledge needed. He shows continual openness to new ideas, strategies, and techniques.  In summary, Filiberto’s professional contributions to mathematics education have occurred over a long and distinguished career. His achievements have been extremely impressive, and more importantly his career is not over! He still extends himself to improve the mathematics experience for all students in Massachusetts. ATMIM’s Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame proudly welcomes Filiberto Santiago-Lizardi to its membership.


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Jamil Siddiqui

Since 1994, Jamil has been at the helm of East Bridgewater High School’s AP Calculus program. While he did not establish the program at the school, he did develop it into the absolute masterwork it is today. His unique approaches involve a great deal of storytelling designed to couch high-level math concepts in a more accessible framework, intense Socratic discussions where the learner is never given knowledge for free and instead must find the strength and confidence to find it first within themselves, and a deeply-held belief that building a community of mutual learning and trust amongst the teacher and students carves the supreme path to success. These things have led his AP Calculus program to greatness - his students over the last quarter century have passed the exam at a higher rate than the global average (nearly 70%), and with a higher rate of perfect fives to boot (over 30%). His approaches to education have inspired no fewer than fifteen of his former students to follow in his footsteps to become math teachers.  Jamil is the Lead Teacher of his math department and the Student Activities Coordinator for his school.


Furthermore, Jamil has done phenomenal and meaningful work with Mass Insight Education over the last decade. He has worked in multiple roles at the organization, serving at many times as a Saturday Session presenter giving lessons to students, as Summer Institute instructor teaching other educators how to increase effectiveness in an AP classroom and most recently as MIE’s AP Calculus Content Director responsible for coordinating over 80 member schools in the region. On several occasions he has travelled around MA, out of state, and to Canada to share his high-demand expertise with others at workshops and conferences for both MIE and the College Board. His boundless love for working in secondary education might stop him from doing so, of course. In addition to his work with Mass Insight, Mr. Siddiqui has worked with the College Board as an AP exam reader on several occasions and has certification as a consultant.


He was chosen as Massachusetts 2019 Teacher of the Year and uses the connections and prestige that accompany this award to make inroads with the Department of Education and school districts with a focus on the ideal he believes in most strongly: support. His desire to increase and diversify our support for both our students and our teachers will hopefully have a lasting impact in this state and possibly the nation.


He has lectured at Bridgewater State University and Boston University, and early in his career he assisted the esteemed Dr. Robert Devaney and Dr. Glenn Stevens in projects aimed at secondary educators. To his greatest joy, Jamil has earned the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, among other prestigious awards like MA Teacher of the Year 2019 and Raytheon’s Math Moves U Teacher of the Year 2008.


Through all of these amazing career highlights and lifetime accomplishments, Jamil has always expressed an admirable wonder about his own learning. He claims that for as much as he gives, he receives in turn - he never boasts about his own greatness, but he often talks about how much he has been learning and growing as a result of being a leader in the field. He earnestly claims that he has learned as much from the students and teachers that he has helped over his career as they have learned from him.  He is the consummate teacher. He inspires, motivates, and assists students and colleagues to succeed at the highest possible level. He does so while maintaining his characteristic humility and youthful enthusiasm. The attribute that is admire by his colleagues is that he keeps getting better at everything he does. He is an ever-rising star and shows no sign of slowing down. He serves as a great ambassador for the teaching profession.  In addition to be the 2019 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, he was also the 2019 NEA Foundation Award winner for Teaching Excellence. The Awards for Teaching Excellence recognizes educators from around the country who shine in their schools, their communities, and their own learning. These educators advocate for each other, the profession, and students, and they embrace the diversity of their communities and the wider world.


With these commendations,  Jamil Siddiqui is worthy of membership in ATMIM Massachusetts Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame.



 


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