Mrs Rohde, fourth grade teacher at West Brookfield Elementary School, was honored by WSRS and Country Bank as the Teacher of the Month for March 2012.

Winning Letter:

Your advertisement for Teacher of the Month came on the Radio and my son Justin said “Mom we have to write them about Mrs. Rohde!”  I agreed.  My son is referring to his fourth grade teacher Mrs. Rohde at West Brookfield Elementary School. 

When I asked him why he stated:  She teaches so I understand.  She has good humor.  She’s not real strict.  She helps me when I’m stuck.  She is very caring and most importantly I LOVE SCHOOL because of Mrs. Rohde. 

My son is right.  Not only does he love school but he is having the best year ever at school.  His self-confidence has skyrocketed.  His test scores have soared.  He is happy.  Why you may ask.  It’s all because of Mrs. Rohde.  She has taken the time and energy to get to know who Justin is and how he learns.  She uses his strengths to help improve his weaknesses.  She challenges him to think outside the box.  She has allowed him to succeed in all that he works so hard to achieve.  She is as excited about Justin's success as we are.   

Whenever I have had a question or a concern about Justin's learning she has listened and had a solution.  What more could I ask for?  My son has found success and a love of learning that will help him for the rest of his life.

Mrs Hughes, 6th grade math and social studies teacher at Ruggles Elementary School in Barre, was honored by WSRS and Country Bank as the Teacher of the Month for Februrary 2012.

Winning Letter:

When I heard on WSRS that they had nominations for teacher of the month I had to write in and share my daughter's feelings towards her sixth grade Math and Social Studies teacher. Mrs. Hughes. My daughter Alyssa Buckley is her sixth grade student at Ruggles Lane Elementary School in Barre MA. Mrs. Hughes is a strong, proud 8 year cancer survivor and proudly teaches her kids to live life to the fullest. My daughter has been in speech therapy since she was 3 years old, she has also had to be in title one classes since she was5. Alyssa has always lacked the confidence to show her true self due to her speech and throughout the years the constant criticism and mocking from other children. Alyssa is an amazing, sweet, fun loving 12 year old who until Mrs. Hughes became her teacher hid those things about herself. In the last 6 months as if a blooming flower opened my little girl started being more confident and proud of who she was despite still having speech problems and still being made fun of at times by her peers. No longer does my daughter come home crying because so and so made fun of her or she once again had to sit alone at lunch or recess because she felt no one wanted to be around her. Everyday she comes home with a new story about how strong Mrs. Hughes is and if she can be strong through everything shes been through so can't I. Mrs. Hughes has taken so much time with my daughter and makes Alyssa feel important as a student and a person. Alyssa recently told me that Mrs. Hughes was her hero and the greatest mentor she feels shes ever known. I believe that not only have her grades improved but so has her confidence due to one teachers heart and dedication to her job. Alyssa's social skills have also improved and she now finally has friends come over. I personally would like to find some way to thank Mrs. Hughes for the difference she has made in my daughters life and I have no doubt Alyssa will take her teaching and move forward in life.

Mr William Hodgerney, Special Education Teacher at David Prouty High School, was honored by WSRS and Country Bank as the January 2012 Teacher of the Month.

Winning Letter:

I would like to nominate my son’s teacher for teacher of the month.  My son is a 14 year old student at David Prouty High School in Spencer.  He has mental Health issues and school has been a battle for him all his life.  Many times in the past he has been treated as a trouble kid or a bad student instead of a child with problems.  This year he has had the pleasure of working with William Hodgerney a special education teacher at the high school that has actually taken the time to help my son be successful in his classes.  He goes above and beyond to help my son and all the students in his class.  I receive daily emails on how my son is doing, as well as all his homework assignments so it is assured they are completed.  He takes the time to hear Danny’s side of issues instead of assuming it is his fault.  He truly cares about each and every one of his students and feel he should be honored for this.  Children like my son would be much better off and succeed more in school and life with more teachers like William Hodgerney in the world!

Mrs Sheila Carroll, 4th grade teacher at Webster Middle School, was honored by WSRS and Country Bank as the December 2011 Teacher of the Month.

Winning Letter:

I, Amber Hallaman would like to nominate Mrs. Sheila Carroll of Webster Middle School in Webster, MA for teacher of the month because of some reasons listed here.  They are, she is nice,  she helps me with my homework and lets us sit on a pillow or chair.  She treats me nicely and kindly.  That's why I would like to nominate Mrs. Carroll for the teacher of the month.
Sincerely, Amber Hallaman

I am Amber's mom, Kristin Hallaman and I also would like to nominate Mrs. Carroll.  She is a caring, kind teacher who is strict but in a loving way.  She stated in the beginning of the year that she will never give up on a child.  In fact she goes out of her way to help the children become great learners by working really hard with them.  She goes into school early and stated that if anyone's child needs help they are welcome to come to class early and she will spend the time helping them with whatever it is they need. She also stays late to help the kids.  I can't say enough  about her but I do hope that she gets recognized as she truly does deserve this honor.  She is phenomenal!!!

Mr Pacheco, History Teacher at Tahanto Regional Middle School/Highschool, was honored by WSRS & Country Bank as the November 2011 Teacher of the Month.

Winning Letter:

I am 15 year old Alex Sanginario and I would like to nominate my AP history teacher Mr. Pacheco for the "Teacher of the Month." His style of teaching is both entertaining and full of knowledge. Every class is fun, and it’s one of those periods you just have to look forward to even though it is a harder class. He is always finding a way to make us laugh and understand hard concepts using little references to today's society. It is amazing how many different accents he can use. Earlier in the year I remember he talked in an over exaggerated French accent for the whole class. There isn’t one thing I forgot about that speech. His over use of puns is simply amazing and I cannot begin to describe how many he uses each class. If I could take a guess I’d say it’s at least 5 a class. An example was when he was talking about the Stamp Act. He told us that there had to be "a British 'Seal' on every legal document and the 'Porpoise' of this was to raise money for Britain." he then went on calling it a "'Whale' of a tax." I understand that it is hard to imagine how on earth that would be funny, but if you heard the way he said it, you would die laughing. I could go on for hours telling you about the different puns and jokes he tells that help us remember the specifics of American History. It is an honor to be in his class and it would be even more of an honor if someone had the chance to spend a class with us and see what it’s really like. The things I said about him do not even come close to doing a justice for him. He is BY FAR the best teacher I have ever had, and I look forward to having him again and again for other classes.

Mr. Turgeon, Ancient Civilizations teacher at the Montview Middle School in Holden, was honored by WSRS & Country Bank as the October 2011 Teacher of the Month.

Winning Letter:

My name is Bethany Adams, I'm an eighth grader at Mountview Middle School in Holden. I would like to nominate Mr. Turgeon, a seventh grade Ancient Civilizations teacher at Mountview. When I was in seventh grade, I hated myself and had absolutely zero confidence. I had to give a presentation on Greek Gods and Goddesses. Even though it was my favorite topic, I didn't want to present my PowerPoint to the class full of people I didn't really know. I was on the verge of tears when I told Mr. Turgeon I couldn't do it. He simply told me that it was a topic I knew well, and I just needed to believe in myself. I told him I wasn't so good at that.  He replied that I would be amazing, I was beautiful, and I could do this. I presented my power point, answered all the questions people asked, and received a 95%, because I forgot to include Hades one of my slides. From that day on, I walked slightly more confidently, and even though he isn't one of my teachers anymore, he goes out of his way to make me feel special. Mr. Turgeon inspired my love of history, and he inspires students everyday to be the best they can be. I'm in the a Capella group at my school now, and I have more friends than ever. Mr. Turgeon truly altered my life, and made me the 'Confident, beautiful, and shining' (as all my friends say) I am today. I believe Mr. Turgeon deserves the Teacher of the Month award more than any other teacher I've ever had.

Mrs Reed, fourth grade teacher at Holden Christian Academy, was honored by WSRS and Country Bank as the September 2011 Teacher of the Month.

Winning Letter:

I think my teacher deserves to be recognized as a teacher of the month because of the way she gives of herself.  She believes that school should be a  place where kids can feel safe and comfortable to ask questions or talk about anything on their minds.  She thinks it's important to get to know her students so that she can help them learn to be the best that they can be.  Each Monday a student gets a turn to have lunch with her.  She provides  this special  lunch and we get to eat together and chat about what is going on in our lives.  We also get the chance to sign up each day to chat with her about things on our mind.  She likes us to know that she's there to help not just with the school stuff but with anything we want to share.  She also believes that hands on learning is the best and we get to go on a lot of different field trips.   I go to Holden Christian Academy where I think all the teachers are great!  My mom says that we are blessed to  have them because they are such great teachers but they could be making more money teaching at other schools but they teach us because they love the environment.  I'm in the 4th grade and my teacher's name is Mrs Reed.  She is fun, inspirational, patient and just awesome overall.  Mrs Reed deserves to be teacher of the month because she teaches for all the right reasons and it shows in her classroom & students! I love to go to school and I want to do my best in class because Mrs Reed always gives us her best.  Please consider Mrs Reed as a teacher of the month!

Senora Telenson, Spanish Teacher at The Bancroft School in Worcester, was honored by WSRS & Country Bank as the June 2011 Teacher of the Month.

Winning Letter:

When I first heard the ad for WSRS's Teacher of the Month, my Spanish Teacher and Advisor for the past four years immediately came to mind.  Señora Telenson, or "Tele" as we all call her, has been a fantastic teacher and friend for the past four years.  Ever since my Freshman year at Bancroft School in Worcester, she has inspired me to continue with my Spanish, whether it be through taking more advanced courses, listening to Spanish music outside of class, or participating in a Spanish exchange my Sophomore year.  My Sophomore year, I signed up to be in her advisory after realizing how fun classes with her were.  We all had a great start to the year, when suddenly she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  It was a shock to us all.  Often times we think these things cannot happen to people so close to us.  We all did everything we could to support her.  While she had to be out for a few weeks for surgery, I decided to put together a video for her with people in the community saying messages to her wishing her well.  The response was incredible. Everyone across campus, including not only High School students and teachers, but also faculty from Lower School as well as the Middle School, the Athletic Dept., Art Dept., and more wanted to send their love to her.  The entire community came together for her because of how loved she is.  The faculty even had a "babushka" day where they all wore head wraps in support of Tele having to wear one every day.  No matter what was happening with her, however, she was still laughing, dancing the "boogaloo" (her signature dance) and singing songs.  If you saw her in the hallway, she would not only stop to say "¡Hola!" enthusiastically, but also dance with you down the hallway, take her classes to her house for fiestas, etc.  Tele is one of the most inspiring teachers and friends I have ever had.  By my junior year, she was cancer free and still (maybe even more) enthusiastic and positive.  She kept encouraging me to continue my Spanish up until this year when I completed her AP Spanish Language course.  She even inspired me to continue Spanish in college and declare it as my minor next year.  School is over for us now; however, I still believe Tele deserves this recognition.  I graduate next week so I wanted to make sure that she gets recognition for all that she does and has done for her students and co-workers.  For all of these reasons, I absolutely, 100% recommend Tele for this recognition!    

Mrs Cotter, first grade teacher at Bryn Mawr Elementary School in Auburn, was honored by WSRS and Country Bank as the May 2011 Teacher of the Month.

Winning Letter:
 My Son Edward Bigwood wanted me to write in so he could nominate his teacher Mrs. Cotter at the Bryn Mawr Elementary School in Auburn Ma! He said that his teacher is the best because she taught him how to read and write.  She listens to her students when they have concerns and when they need help she never shows frustration with them. She is a strict teacher but Very fair. And she seems like she is there for the students and not the pay check.  My son was a very quite child and she has brought out the best in him, when he comes home from school every day with a smile on his face it melts my heart to hear him say that. so please when considering Please consider MRS. COTTER First grade teacher at BRYN MAWR elementary school in Auburn  Sincerely Rebecca Bigwood