2026 Outstanding Teacher Award Nominations ARE OPEN! March 2-20
The Outstanding Teacher Awards (OTA), sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank Foundation, recognizes the extraordinary contributions made by teachers in the Belmont Public Schools. Community members, including high school and middle school students, nominate teachers who they feel deserve this special recognition. A sub-committee of the FBE then selects teachers from the nominations, one from each of the Belmont Public Schools, to be recognized as the Outstanding Teachers of the Year. The entire community is invited to celebrate these honorees at a ceremony on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
The S. Warren Farrell Award for Educational Excellence recognizes one educator for longstanding dedication and leadership in the Belmont Public Schools and contributions to the community. This award honors the legacy of S. Warren Farrell for his many years of dedicated volunteer work in Belmont community.
OTA Sponsor
The Nomination Process
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Parents/guardians, students, colleagues, and community members, can nominate teachers who they feel deserve this special recognition.
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To be eligible for nomination, a teacher must:
• Have completed 3 consecutive years teaching in the Belmont Public Schools and currently teach in the Belmont Public Schools
• Teach students on a regular basis (40% of the time)
• Have not previously received the Outstanding Teacher Award within the last 3 years (see our list of previous winners below)
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Please select the appropriate school nomination form below and submit when completed. The nomination period only lasts March 2 – March 20.
Belmont High School Application
Belmont Middle School Application
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Nominations close Friday, March 20, 2026.
A sub-committee of the FBE will select one honoree from each of the Belmont Public Schools. The 2026 Outstanding Teachers of the Year will be announced in mid April.
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Award Ceremony & Reception
Thursday, May 14, 2026, 6:00pm
Chenery Upper Elementary AuditoriumThe entire community is invited to a ceremony to celebrate the 2025-26 Outstanding Teacher Award recipients.
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Email: administrator@fbe-belmont.org
Previous Winners for the last 3 years
2025 Outstanding Teacher Award Recipients
Tawnya Lewis
Belmont High School, Science Teacher
Cate Bresnahan
Belmont Middle School, Special Education
Devon Kelleher
Chenery Upper Elementary School, Grade 4
Patrick Mongeau
Burbank Elementary School, Grade 2
Jason Tavares
Butler Elementary School, Grade 1
Elizabeth Cox
Wellington Elementary School, Grade K
Suzanne Ackerman
Winn Brook Elementary School, Grade 3
2025 S. Warren Farrell Award for
Educational Excellence Recipient
Brenda Johnston
Burbank Elementary School, Grade 1
2024 Outstanding Teacher Award Recipients
Joshua Streit
Belmont High School, Social Studies Teacher
Brenton Lussier
Belmont Middle School, Math, Grade 8
Sara Carson
Chenery Upper Elementary School, Music
Wendy Hurwitz
Burbank Elementary School, Grade K
Molly Quinn
Butler Elementary School, Social Worker
Kendra Nnyanzi
Wellington Elementary School, Grade 1
Catherine Monnin
Winn Brook Elementary School, Grade 2
2024 S. Warren Farrell Award for
Educational Excellence Recipient
Gregory Bruce
Belmont High School, Special Education
2023 Outstanding Teacher Award Recipients
Eileen White
Belmont High School, Social Studies Teacher
Brianne Panzarella
Chenery Middle School, Social Studies, Grade 6
Nicole Pond
Burbank Elementary School, Art Teacher
Samantha Sacco
Butler Elementary School, Grade 3
Kate Ebdon
Wellington Elementary School, Grade 2
Kerry Lapon
Winn Brook Elementary School, Grade K
2023 S. Warren Farrell Award for
Educational Excellence Recipient
Cindy Crowley
Butler Elementary, Special Education
Congratulations to our 2025 Outstanding Teacher Awards recipients!
Photographs are courtesy of Belmont parent Natasha Bregel
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The 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years were turned upside down by pandemic and required all Belmont Public School staff members—teachers, custodians, paraprofessionals, guidance counselors, office staff, administrators, and food service staff to alter the day-to-day operations, think creatively and operate in a new and challenging world. The Belmont Savings Bank Foundation, sponsor of the OTA, and the FBE did not want this tremendous dedication by ALL staff to go unrecognized. Therefore, OTA 2020 and 2021 honored the entire staff of the Belmont Public Schools for their outstanding contributions.
On May 4, 2021, to celebrate the Outstanding Staff, each school was presented with a large poster of an image composed of words of gratitude solicited from the entire community. Each staff member received a small version of the Words of Appreciation image along with a gift card to a local Belmont small business as a token of appreciation for creatively and tirelessly supporting our students and each other throughout this challenging time.
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2022 Outstanding Teacher Award Recipients
Ezra Flam
Belmont High School, Theater Arts SpecialistJonathan Marks
Chenery Middle School, Science Grade 8Nikolaus vonHuene
Burbank Elementary School, Grade 4Abbie Dufault
Butler Elementary School, Grade 1Jessica Endres
Wellington Elementary School, Grade 4Lauren Chancey
Winn Brook Elementary School, Grade 22022 S. Warren Farrell Award for
Educational Excellence Recipient
Victoria O’Regan
Burbank Elementary, Reading -
Mark Abruzzese
Belmont High School, ChemistryBhuvana Kaushik
Chenery Middle School, Math, Grade 6Ellen Levy
Butler Elementary School, KindergartenKelly Mastalong
Belmont High School, Social StudiesColleen McBride
Wellington Elementary School, Grade 2Sarah Pierson
Burbank Elementary School, Grade 3Nicole Torniero
Winn Brook Elementary School, Grade 2S. Warren Farrell Award Honoree
Leon Dyer
Chenery Middle School, Technology Education -
Edward Trodden
ButlerColleen Cox
BurbankChristina Westfall
WellingtonErin Gillies-Thibeault
Winn BrookDenise LaPolla
CheneryCatherine Larkin
Belmont High SchoolWarren Farrell Award
Brian Dunn -
Jennifer Pressey
ButlerClifford Gallant
BurbankMeaghan Clow
WellingtonKathryn Doyle
Winn BrookDorothy Pulizzi
CheneryDaniel Moresco
Belmont High SchoolWarren Farrell Award
John McLellan -
Justin Chiu
ButlerLisa O’Sullivan
BurbankCheryl Lyons
WellingtonKathleen Calhoun
Winn BrookMichelle Connors
CheneryMartha Bloom
Belmont High SchoolEXTRA: Sharon Phipps
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Katie Caritey
BurbankAudrey Ruddock
ButlerSteven Tenhor
WellingtonDanielle Pandolfo
Winn BrookBen Ligon
ChenerySusanne Lijek
Belmont High School
More Previous OTA Recipients