2005 Grants & Awards Recipients

Congradulations to all of this year's recipients!

Patricia Taylor, left, poses for a picture with Christine Swelko who nominated Mrs. Taylor for the award.	Lyn Heady, right, accepts her award from MATHWEST president, Scott Trahan, and board member Cindy Tuthill. Lyn received her award for years of dedicated service to MATHWEST.

MATHWEST Teacher of the Year Award

Mrs. Patricia Taylor

     Mrs. Taylor is a mathematics teacher and department chair at Frontier Regional School. She has taught there for the past twelve years as part of a thirty-one year career in mathematics education in Massachusetts, teaching everything from remedial mathematics to AP Calculus.
As part of her career, she introduced the integrated mathematics program to Frontier, working hard to gain support from faculty, parents, and the community-at-large. When it became clear that special education teachers did not have the necessary skills to support students in an integrated mathematics curriculum, Mrs. Taylor developed a summer program to help strengthen those skills in these teachers.
     Mrs. Taylor has also been the advisor at Frontier for the National Mathematics Modeling Contest for seven years, resulting in national and regional winners. She worked with these students to present their projects to the school committee and community, strengthening both their leadership and mathematical skills.
     Mrs. Taylor’s work, however, also extends outside of Frontier Regional School. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. She has been a contributing author for the magazine, Consortium, published by COMAP. She has presented at several conferences sponsored by NCTM, as well as run several calculator workshops. Working with the University of Massachusetts on the “Wayland” project, she has helped in the development of learning software using mathematical applications. She is also teaching a series of mathematics workshops for the Division of Youth Services, sponsored by the Hampshire Educational Collaborative.
Always an excellent teacher, having wisdom, patience, and the respect of her colleagues, MATHWEST is pleased to present this award to Mrs. Patricia Taylor.

Ms. Lyn Heady

     Ms. Lyn Heady is a former mathematics teacher and department head at Easthampton High School. Having taught more years than she wishes to admit, Ms. Heady has had an extensive career that has not concluded with her recent retirement.
     As part of her career in the Easthampton Public Schools, she led her department through the implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and MCAS testing. In doing so, she helped teachers revise their courses to better meet the needs of all students in her district.
     Former students, faculty, and administration in the Easthampton schools, praise Ms. Heady for her no-nonsense approach to dealing with situations on a day-to-day basis. Former students proudly claim that her classes were challenging preparing them for college course work. Colleagues say that Lyn was always supportive, willing to lend a hand when needed. Her former principal, now superintendent, Deborah Carter, states, “She was a dedicated teacher… and a pleasure to work with.”
     As a member of MATHWEST and its Board of Directors, Ms. Heady took on the important task of conference chair for the 2000 NCTM Eastern Regional Conference, held here in Springfield. Exceeding the goal of over two thousand participants, the conference was a huge success, giving financial stability to both MATHWEST and ATMNE, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England.
     Always willing to lend a hand, she has served in various roles including ATMNE representative, membership chair, and president of our association when asked. She is always a phone call away when we need help. It is therefore with great appreciation, MATHWEST presents this award to Ms. Lyn Heady.

Mary Alice Wilson Grant Recipient

Nancy Conant

     Seventh grade math teacher Nancy Conant is the latest recipient of a Mary Alice Wilson Grant. A teacher in the Greenfield Middle School, Nancy received the grant to purchase mathematics software to support their curriculum, and improve MCAS scores.