Leaders in education are frequently hard found and unsung. Mary French, who held the positions of Andover Selectperson and Director of Pupil Personnel, was truly such a leader, breaking ground in the delivery of special education and the inclusion of the whole child in service delivery. It is in her memory that, since 2002, the Andover Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) has sponsored the Mary French Yellow Rose Award to recognize like leaders in special education.

Years ago, Mary French led a group of Andover teachers and parents on a field trip to visit the Glastonbury school system. The Glastonbury system had been successful in implementing new and innovative programs designed to improve delivery of services to special needs children. It was observed that educators whose contributions went the extra step to provide improved programming and foster a more inclusive environment for special education students were rewarded with the discovery of a yellow rose secretly delivered to their desk. Thus the yellow rose became a symbol of excellence and the seed for the Mary French Yellow Rose Award was planted.

As we seek to acknowledge and recognize those who work with distinction and go above and beyond to improve the quality of the education our children receive, we encourage you to nominate the individuals that have made a difference in your life or the life of your student. The guidelines for nominees follow. The nominee can be a Special Needs or Regular Ed teacher, an instructional assistant, coach, therapist or any employee of the Andover Public School System. The nominee will meet the following criteria:

  1. The nominee consistently provides the opportunity for the student to access both academic and recreational Regular Ed programs in a meaningful way.
  2. The nominee is a true collaborator, working well with parents and teachers alike. He or she is a team player.
  3. The nominee embraces change and is willing to take risks in order to improve upon current educational policies.
  4. The nominee works with the team to provide a vision for the student and uses the educational process to achieve these goals.
Nominations should be submitted in the form of a letter stating why this individual should be considered and, if possible, detailing how this individual made a difference. They should be submitted to Joyce Laundre, Director of Student Services, by mail to 36 Bartlett St. in care of Colleen Sheehan or by e-mail to CSheehan@aps1.net. We will not be accepting nominations through the school principals or individual SEPAC members. The deadline is March 15, 2012.

All nominees will be honored and the Mary French Yellow Rose Award will be presented at a ceremony on May 23, 2012 at the High Plain Elementary Auditorium. Any questions please contact Karen Finley at kafinley@verizon.net or Sharon Mason at s.sharonmason@comcast.net