Worcester Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame to Honor 2024 Inductees on May 17

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation invites you to cheer for alumni athletes as they are inducted into the Worcester Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame on May 17 at the Hogan Center, College of the Holy Cross.

2024 Inductees:

  • Daron Brown – Doherty Memorial High School
  • Burncoat Boys 1996 – 1997 Basketball Team
  • John Creamer – South High Community School
  • Scott Fenner – South High Community School
  • Lauren Fitzgerald – Burncoat High School
  • Michael Flynn, Coach – Abbott Street School
  • Andrew Hunter (posthumous) – North High School
  • Jackie Malm – Burncoat High School
  • John Stolberg – South High Community School
  • Delaney Marie Sylvester – Doherty Memorial High School
  • Isaac Yiadom – Doherty Memorial High School

Outstanding Contributors:
Dr. Lee Mancini and Angela Rufo from Family Medicine/Sports Medicine at UMASS Memorial Health

Worcester Public Schools 2023/2024 Team Honorees: 
South High Community School Girls Basketball Team
North High School Boys Basketball Team

Net proceeds from the event help purchase equipment and uniforms. Unlike neighboring districts, Worcester does not charge fees for the 165 teams open to students. The cost of outfitting one football player is nearly $1,000.

The evening of celebration includes a reception, dinner, and awards ceremony. Tickets are $75 per person or $700 for a table of 10 and are on sale now. For more information on dinner tickets, please contact Shannon Bartley at 508-574-7339. For more information about event sponsorship or program book ads, contact McHala Brophy at 774-389-0741 or execdir@wedfwps.org.

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2024 Nominations Now Open

Do you know a distinguished Worcester Public School Alumnus who is deserving of a nomination?

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the annual Distinguished Alumni of the Worcester Public Schools awards! The program was established in 2011 by WEDF to honor and recognize alumni of Worcester Public Schools who:

  • Have made exemplary contributions to their professional fields, the Worcester community, Worcester Public Schools and/or the betterment of society
  • Serve as outstanding role models for current Worcester Public Schools students
  • Have achieved outstanding success in academics, the arts, community service, business, humanitarian efforts, research and various other fields

This year’s ceremony is scheduled for October 24, 2024 at a banquet held to honor the awardees at the College of the Holy Cross. 

If you know of any alumni who meet the above criteria, we strongly encourage you to submit their names to the Foundation. Online and printable nomination forms are available below. 

In addition to filling out the basic information about the alumnus, be sure to include a one-page narrative describing your nominee’s accomplishments and why you’re nominating them. Supplementary documents such as newspaper articles about their accomplishments and resumes are also helpful in the review process. If you know of an exemplary candidate, but don’t have time to compile a full nomination, feel free to email your idea to advancement@wedfwps.org.

We look forward to seeing this year’s nominees, and selecting the next class of Distinguished Alumni! Be sure to spread the word!

Download Nomination Form
Fill Out Online Nomination Form

WEDF Announces Honorees for 12th Annual Distinguished Alumni & Friends of the Worcester Public Schools Awards

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation, Inc. (WEDF) is proud to announce the 2023 Class of Distinguished Alumni of the Worcester Public Schools. A celebration of their achievements will be held on October 25, 20223 at the College of the Holy Cross.

Honorees are:
Woodrow Adams, Jr. – Public Servant & Community Leader
Dimitrios Angelis, M.D. – Cardiologist
Matthew Brown  – Business Leader
Maritza Cruz – Community Leader
The Hale Sisters – Entertainers
David Klein – Business Leader
Brian LaRose – Business Leader
Charles Olson (posthumous) – Poet
R. Norman Peters – Real Estate Attorney
Chloe Nester Sundberg – Educator & Artist
Marian Younge, M.D.  – Family Medicine

The North High Alumni Association
Friend of The Worcester Public Schools

Holmes-Shusas Florist
Friend of The WEDF

According to Thomas V. Murray, Jr., chairman of the committee, “We are once again delighted to present such a notable group of alumni who received their educational foundation in the Worcester Public Schools. We look forward to celebrating their achievements.”

Major sponsors for this year’s event are Lamoureux Pagano Associates and UniBank. Dinner tickets for the event are $75 and are available to purchase at the link below. For more information on the event, call 774-389-0740 or email info@wedfwps.org.

BUY TICKETS
WEDF_DA_FINAL-09262023

2023 Scholarship & Award Winners

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation announced more than $40,000 in scholarships and awards for graduating seniors in the Worcester Public Schools. The funds have been provided by foundations, corporations, fund raising events, organizations, and individuals. The recipients are:

Connected Scholars Laptops
40 seniors in eight high schools.

Nina and Miriam Barber Scholarship
Taevye Dawkins, North High

Elizabeth “Betty” Reid Scholarship
Denesia Rivera, North High
Maria Managua Castillo, North High
Chelsea Frimpong, North High

North High Alumni Association Scholarships
Julieen Nicolas, North High
Leilani Castro, North High
Juleein Nicolas, North High
Crystal Abruzzise, North HIgh
Colm King, North High
Jaylene Canales Morales, North High
Jenny Wu, North High

Ryan Quinn Memorial Scholarship
Annie Corrao, Buncoat High

Mary Murphy Spirit Award
Mia Haynes, Burncoat High

Dr. Lee Gurel Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Advanced Placement English
Student Award: Brian Nguyen, Worcester Technical High School
Teacher Award: Jessica McGuire, Worcester Technical High School

In addition, WEDF provided gift cards and Table Talk pies to 17 outstanding students in visual and performing arts.

scholarship-press-release-2023FINAL

WEDF Announces Spring 2023 Mini-Grant Recipients

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation, Inc. funded more than $5,000 in mini-grants for educators in the Worcester Public Schools.

The grants funded extraordinary projects to enhance and enrich teaching and learning in WEDF’s areas of focus: Arts and Culture, College and Career Readiness, Health and Wellness, and Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.

The grants were funded through WEDF’s Distinguished Alumni & Friends of the Worcester Public Schools event, the Office of District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr., individual donations, and the general funds of the WEDF.

Congratulations to all of the grant recipients, and a huge thank you to our grant review committee!

2023 Mini-Grant Award Recipients

Dina Taylor • Worcester Technical High School • Children’s Library
Meg Cook • Elm Park School • Harvesting Healthy Habits
Gregory Jones • South High School • Modernizing Physics Classroom
Dante Quercio • Claremont School • Cougar Coding Club
Jane Dowd • Burncoat High School • BHS Memorial Courtyard
Brenda Hernandez • Worcester East Middle School • Peace Over Violence
Andrea Cook • Burncoat Middle School • Thrills & Chills
Tom Donington • Burncoat High School • Burncoat Billgoats
Jackie Latino • North High School • Happy Beans Coffee Shop
Alana Juneau • Worcester Arts Magnet • Clay All Day!
Debra Bianculli • Tatnuck Magnet School • Light, Shadow & Color 
Michele Petty • Roosevelt School • Getting Moving In PE!

Worcester Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame to Honor 2023 Inductees on May 19

The Worcester Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame Committee has announced the following list of inductees:

  • Joshua Awuma – Doherty Memorial High School
  • Kelly Bates – Burncoat High School
  • Ken Bates – Burncoat High School
  • Ryan Keddy – Worcester Technical High School
  • Raymond McGrath – South High School
  • James McDermott – Coach
  • John Murray – Worcester Technical High School
  • Michael Paladino – Doherty Memorial High School
  • Joseph Perry – Doherty Memorial High School
  • Hannah Quinn – Doherty Memorial High School
  • Jim Reynolds – Coach
  • Yawin Smallwood -Doherty Memorial High School
  • Joseph Thompson – Outstanding Contributor

The induction ceremony will be held on Friday, May 19, at Holy Cross’s Hogan Center.

The reception is at 5:00 p.m. and will be followed by a dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Dinner tickets are $75 ($20 for children under 12) and a table for 10 is $700.

To reserve your tickets or for information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Shannon Bartley at 508-574-7339. 

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation, Inc. serves as the fiscal agent for the event.

Learn More

Nominations Open for the 2024 Distinguished Alumni of the Worcester Public Schools Awards!

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the annual Distinguished Alumni of the Worcester Public Schools awards! The program was established in 2011 by WEDF to honor and recognize alumni of Worcester Public Schools who:

  • Have made exemplary contributions to their professional fields, the Worcester community, Worcester Public Schools and/or the betterment of society
  • Serve as outstanding role models for current Worcester Public Schools students
  • Have achieved outstanding success in academics, the arts, community service, business, humanitarian efforts, research and various other fields

This year’s ceremony is scheduled for October 21, 2024 at a banquet held to honor the awardees at the College of the Holy Cross. 

If you know of any alumni who meet the above criteria, we strongly encourage you to submit their names to the Foundation. Online and printable nomination forms are available below.

In addition to filling out the basic information about the alumnus, be sure to include a one-page narrative describing your nominee’s accomplishments and why you’re nominating them. Supplementary documents such as newspaper articles about their accomplishments and resumes are also helpful in the review process. If you know of an exemplary candidate, but don’t have time to compile a full nomination, feel free to email your idea to advancement@wedfwps.org.

Further instructions are available on the nomination form. Learn more about the event here.

We look forward to seeing this year’s nominees, and selecting the next class of Distinguished Alumni! Be sure to spread the word!

Online Nomination Form
Printable Nomination Form

WEDF Welcomes New Board Member

Worcester Educational Development Foundation is pleased to announce a new addition to our Board of Directors.  See a full board list here.

Ginny Pitcher

A photo of Ginny Pitcher.

Ginny Pitcher is the Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications for Greenwood Industries, the largest commercial roofing and building envelope solutions provider in the Northeast. Ms. Pitcher is responsible for the company’s brand messaging, content strategy development and deployment, marketing programs, and digital campaign efforts to drive sales and build brand awareness. In addition, she works in tandem with the executive team to create a brand that exemplifies the organization’s mission and ensures that it connects with the values of its customers. Her career spans more than twenty-five years with entrepreneurial experience in marketing, client services, business operations, and human resources.

Before joining Greenwood, Ms. Pitcher was the co-founder and CEO of one of Boston’s leading public relations and social media agencies for consumer and emerging technology brands. As a chief strategist and experienced relationship manager, Ms. Pitcher worked with clients like Staples, Zappos, TrueCar.com, Cumberland Farms, Stop & Shop, Flooring America, and more.

Ms. Pitcher serves on the President’s Council of The New England Center for Children, an independently-operated, private special education residential school in Southborough, Massachusetts. She has also served on the board of Humanity Rises, an international humanitarian organization, focused on helping the Rohingya in Bangladesh.

A Doherty High School graduate, Ms. Pitcher holds a B.A. from Syracuse University and an M.S. in Mass Communication from Middle Tennessee State University.

WPS Athletic Hall of Fame Committee Call for Volunteers

Graphic: Worcester Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame logo above text that reads "seeking new committee members" and and image of a football, basketball, soccer ball, baseball, volleyball, and tennis ball.

Were sports an important part of your high school career? Do you have a student athlete in the Worcester Public Schools?

The Worcester Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is seeking members to help identify outstanding alumni athletes and plan the spring banquet in May. Proceeds from the event support teams through the purchase of new uniforms and equipment.

The next meeting of the committee is Monday, September 26 at the Field House at Berkshire Bank Field at Foley Stadium.

To learn more, contact Dave Shea at sheadavid@worcesterschools.net.

WEDF Announces Honorees for 11th Annual Distinguished Alumni & Friends of the Worcester Public Schools Awards

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation, Inc. (WEDF) is proud to announce the 2022 Class of Distinguished Alumni of the Worcester Public Schools. A celebration of their achievements will be held on October 27, 2022 at the College of the Holy Cross.

Honorees are:
Orlando Baxter – Entertainer
Nina Barber and Miriam Barber (posthumous) – Educators
Brian D’Andrea – Attorney
Lainey Feingold – Disability Rights Lawyer and Author
Rosemary F. Ford – Philanthropist
James Laurie – Journalist and Author
Barbara Abramoff Levy – Musician, Conductor and Historical Interpreter
Aaron Lubowitz – Private Equity and Investment Banker
Sean Mitchell – Public Servant
José Rolón – Public Figure, LGBTQ+ Advocate and Wedding Planner
The Reverend Jonathan Slavinskas – Spiritual and Community Leader

Quinsigamond Community College is the recipient of the Friend of Education Award.

According to Thomas V. Murray, Jr., chairman of the committee, “We are once again delighted to present such a notable and diverse group of alumni who received their educational foundation in the Worcester Public Schools. We look forward to celebrating their achievements.”

Major sponsors for this year’s event are Lamoureux Pagano Associates, Saint-Gobain and UniBank. Dinner tickets for the event are $75 and will be available to purchase soon. For more information on the event, call 774-389-0740 or email info@wedfwps.org.

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