By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A longtime Summer Street School teacher was presented with the 2023 Dorothy Presser Award last week.
School Committee Chair Rich Sjoberg recalled during an Aug. 29 meeting that the award was established in 2019 in honor of longtime School Committee member Dorothy Presser.
“The Lynnfield School Committee created the Dorothy Presser Award to honor Dorothy’s tireless dedication to the Lynnfield Public Schools through her 21 years as a School Committee member,” said Sjoberg. “The award is a peer-nominated award recognizing a Lynnfield Public Schools employee who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to advancing the Lynnfield Public Schools.”
Sjoberg said Summer Street School second grade teacher Deb Guenard is the recipient of this year’s Dorothy Presser Award. He presented the award to Guenard during a professional development day held on Aug. 28.
“The winner of this year’s Dorothy Presser Award received a multitude of nominations citing her over 30 years of dedication to the each and every student, their families and, equally important, her colleagues,” said Sjoberg. “On behalf of the entire Lynnfield School Committee, we are pleased to award the 2023 Dorothy Presser Award to Summer Street School second grade teacher Deb Guenard. Congratulations.”
Guenard said she was honored to receive the Dorothy Presser Award.
“I am honored to receive this prestigious award recognizing the hard work, dedication and commitment that Dorothy Presser gave to the Lynnfield Public Schools,” Guenard wrote in an email sent to the Villager. “I am humbled that many of my colleagues took the time to nominate me because they are all equally deserving of this award. It has been a pleasure working with such caring, dedicated and compassionate people throughout my career. Summer Street School is a special place and has been a second home to me for the past 36 years. I am grateful to everyone who has touched my life while teaching here, especially my students.”
Sjoberg recalled that Guenard is “often referred to as the mother or matriarch” of Summer Street School.
“Deb is a guiding mentor for countless new staff and is seen as the go-to person for professional and personal advice, encouragement and compassionate support,” said Sjoberg. “She is the person in the building that colleagues say, ‘What would we do without her?’”
Sjoberg said Guenard “creates an incredible balance in her classroom with her magic touch.”
“Deb’s students are loved, challenged and happy,” said Sjoberg. “She holds her students to high expectations, knows what each of them needs and pushes them to meet their individual potential across all areas. In turn, her students are inspired by and want to rise to the occasion each and every day. She is also annually among the top recipients for the Summer Street School fourth grade Kindness Projects, where students use their voice to express their gratitude and thanks for the inspiration received.”
Sjoberg said the School Committee appreciates that a large number of the school system’s educators and staff members “took time to write wonderful nominations” for their peers.
“The number of nominations we received is a true reflection of the Lynnfield Public Schools community, and created a very difficult decision,” said Sjoberg. “We offer our congratulations to all who were nominated.”
Guenard is the sixth educator to receive the Dorothy Presser Award. Huckleberry Hill School third grade teacher Lindsay Driscoll and Lynnfield Middle School fifth grade teacher Tammy Tate were each presented with the 2022 Dorothy Presser Awards. Lynnfield High School English teacher Joey Puleo, late LHS Social Studies Department Head Michael Boulay and Nurse Coordinator Toni Rebelo have also won the award.