2023 Caverly Award Recipients:

Sara O’Shea, Heath School 6th/7th grade ELA, and Elizabeth Crane, BHS Biology

The BEF’s annual Celebrating Teachers event was held at BHS on May 9, 2023 – Ms. O’Shea and Ms. Crane accepted their awards and addressed their colleagues and community about their careers in education. Click HERE to watch Ms. Crane’s speech, and click HERE to watch Ms. O’Shea’s speech.

2022 Caverly Award Recipients:

Nicole Chasse, Florida Ruffin Ridley School, and Joslyn Vendola, Brookline High School

2021 Caverly Award Recipients:

Francesca Stark has been teaching at the Driscoll School for 25 years. She is the kind of teacher that students remember their whole lives as someone who makes learning come alive. Francesca was a student at Driscoll herself and had a fourth-grade teacher who scared everyone, including her. It was then that she decided that she would become a fourth-grade teacher, but be the kind of teacher she would have wanted to have. When the principal of Driscoll at the time heard that story, she hired her on the spot. As a (now fifth-grade) teacher, Francesca year after year successfully creates a strong and dedicated community of learners, who come to love learning for the sake of learning and are able to run the classroom themselves, even when she is not there. Her students know that they have a strong advocate in Ms. Stark, who will work tirelessly to help them persevere and hold themselves to a high standard, and parents know that she cares for their children as much as they do. An activist at heart, Francesca teaches her students to be activists as well, with assignments to write to legislators about issues that concern them. She also leads an after-school group focused on preserving the environment, open to Driscoll students in grades 5-8. As a leader, Francesca has mentored numerous student teachers and teaches education at Brandeis University. Francesca Stark embodies the best of Brookline teaching—dedicated, hard-working, creative, encouraging, bringing out the best in her students and colleagues, and never forgetting to have fun

Elizabeth (Betsy) Davis has been teaching at Brookline High School for 35 years. Madame Davis is known as much for her kindness and warmth as she is for her high standards and ability to get the most out of her students, often without them noticing how hard they are working. Betsy cares deeply about all of her students and creates a sense of caring and community in her class, which allows students to take risks and learn more, and feel comfortable doing it. Her commitment to teaching and her students is evidenced by the fact that her students will come to class early, stay late, and speak French with one another even when class is not in session. In addition to teaching French, Betsy is the International Student Advisor and is often the first person new international students meet when they come to Brookline High School. In this role, Betsy is known to be equally kind and caring, generous of her time and knowledge, and willing to help all students who need it. As a former English Learner teacher, a French teacher, the International Student  Advisor, and the point person for exchange programs at Brookline High School, all of her colleagues point to the many hats Betsy effortlessly wears, with grace, kindness, and caring for all people. She is also a mentor and leader with her colleagues, always working on improving curriculum, or getting a jump on technological learning before many other teachers. She always remembers to keep her students’ well-being at the center of what she does and makes a point to make everyone feel welcome. As a master teacher, a welcoming presence to international students, and a friend and mentor to her colleagues, Betsy Davis can now add Caverly winner to her list of accomplishments.

Laura Vish has been called the “heart” of Runkle School by colleagues and parents. As a Speech and Language Pathologist who has worked in Brookline for 20 years, Laura’s job requires her to work closely with a large caseload of individual students who need S&L services, but she does so much more than that. Her contributions to the Runkle community include delivering executive function tools such as EmPOWER to many classrooms, creating a curriculum about life skills for RISE students, and being a mentor and collaborator to new teachers and specialists. In addition, she is a friendly face, comforting shoulder and gives warm hugs to countless students and teachers for whom she genuinely cares. We agree that Ms. Vish, in many ways, is the “heart” of Runkle for students, teachers and administrators alike, and the Brookline Education Foundation is proud to present the 2019 Caverly Award to her!

“Kind” and “generous” are words that come up repeatedly when people describe Mark VanDerzee. His kindness is demonstrated by the respect he shows his students, the empathy that he exudes and encourages them to demonstrate, and in the way in which he genuinely cares about his students. His generosity is evident in the time he devotes to his students, his colleagues, as well as in the calm support he give to everyone with whom he works. Since coming to BHS in 2001, Mark has taught Drama, Stagecraft, Sound and Lighting Design, and has served as the Performing Arts Tech Director. Ever popular with his students, Mark teaches life skills and professsionalism in addition to the course subject matter. His humility and dedication to his students and his craft are evident to all he comes in contact with. The Brookline Education Foundation is thrilled to award Mark VanDerzee with the 2019 Caverly Award.

Beth Greenwood has worked as a third-grade teacher at the Lincoln School since 2005. Her enthusiasm and love of learning are contagious to students, teachers, and parents alike. She takes time to really get to know all students in her class—with their strengths and weaknesses—and to bring out the best in them. As the co-director of the Lincoln middle school play, Ms. Greenwood has been instrumental in helping shy, quiet students positively shine in their roles in these impressive productions. As a mentor to student teachers, new teachers, and veteran teachers, she brings the same deep thoughtfulness and vast knowledge and wisdom to her colleagues as she does to the students in her classroom. When faced with dilemmas and complicated issues, students and teachers alike find themselves asking, “What would Ms. Greenwood do?”

Liz Gorman began her career in Brookline as a student at Brookline High School. Now a teacher, she is an inspiration to both her students and colleagues, and exudes a sense of calm, determination, and inspiration. Ms. Gorman is a trailblazer in both the World Language Department and the Health and Fitness Department. She has truly left her mark throughout the entire high school. She was a pioneering chaperone for the China Exchange program; she revitalized the Spanish curriculum for all levels of learners; she started the rock climbing classes and literally built the climbing wall herself; and she is also a skilled yoga instructor and fierce yoga advocate. Ms. Gorman is a formal and informal mentor to many teachers, and co-created the faculty and student wellness initiative. Liz Gorman is a doer and an agent of change. Today she can add Caverly Award winner to her long list of accomplishments.

In 2016, the Brookline Education Foundation was proud to honor the following outstanding exemplars of Excellence in Teaching: