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1:30-1:45 Greeting/snacks
1:45-2:30 Massage Session
2:30-2:45 Break
2:45-4:00 Yoga & Meditation
4:00-4:15 Door Prizes/Thank You
Place: Russett Library
3501 Russett Common
Laurel, MD 20724
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Prince George’s County Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Awards Reception
After the end of another long IEP season, many special educators gathered to celebrate the positive difference they make in the lives of their students. On April 29, 2008 the Prince George’s County Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) held its biannual Awards Reception, honoring people who go above and beyond the call of duty to improve the education and quality of life for students with disabilities. At the Awards Reception, held at the University of Maryland University College Inn and Conference Center, the guests were able to catch up with old friends and wish their nominees well over hors d’oevres before the ceremony. They celebrated the nominees with cheers and laughter, but they also celebrated the special education community, the many people who work in the special education department, making the lives of students better. On a somber note, Mark Norman (November 8, 1952 – February 13, 2008), former co-president of CEC and former principal of C. E. Reig, an outstanding principal and educator who made the lives of many people better, always a prominent part of the Awards Reception, was remembered and missed.
Dr. Pamela Downing Hosten, Director of Special Education, as guest speaker told the crowd of over 200 the inspiring stories of Dr. Jessie B. Mason, Frances Fuchs, and James Duckworth, pioneers in the field of special education. These giants created a nationally recognized special education system in Prince George’s County years before federal law created systems across the nation. Dave Gill, the Training and Competition Director for Prince George’s County Special Olympics, told the crowd how Robert Janus had brought Special Olympics and Motor Development to this county, starting in the 1960s. Dr. Downing Hosten had the crowd laughing and cheering as she talked about people and schools they knew and loved, and she congratulated the audience on carrying on the work of Dr. Mason, Frances Fuchs, James Duckworth, and Bob Janus, people who made the world better for our students with disabilities.
Fourteen outstanding candidates for the four CEC awards were nominated by their colleagues.
For the Dr. Jessie B. Mason Memorial Award, which honors administrators in Special Education in Prince George’s County, three nominees were submitted:
1. Dr. Florence Foreman, Supervisor of Psychological Services
2. Jill Hildenbrand, SEIS, Region V Office
3. Julia Watson, Autism Specialist, Wheatley Autism Office
For the Frances R. Fuchs Memorial Award which acknowledges a person in the field of Special Education in Prince George’s County, five nominees were submitted:
1. Lisa Anderson, Para-professional, Central High School
2. Roslyn Branchcomb, Special Educator, Margaret Brent Regional School
3. Selena Brown, Special Educator, Margaret Brent Regional School
4. Emily G. Freeman, Special Educator, Deerfield Run Elementary School
5. Donna Lauerhahs, Special Educator/Music Teacher, Wheatley
For the Robert J. Janus Honorarium Award which acknowledges a person in the field of Related Services in Prince George’s County, three names were submitted:
1. Colleeen Boisvert, Occupational Therapist, Chapel Forge and Deerfield Run
2. Ken Kitchelt, Motor Development, Frances Fuchs
3. Brad Weiner, Motor Development, Wheatley
For the James E. Duckworth Award which acknowledged a person in the Prince George’s County School System not in the field of Special Education, three names were submitted:
1. Mary Dawkins, Billable Trips Secretary, Department of Transportation
2. Patricia Hall-Porter, Executive Director, In God’s Loving Hands, Inc.
3. Jane L. Hanfman, General Education Teacher, Deerfield Run Elementary School
Choosing the winners was very difficult for the judges—Ronald Beury, Margaret Castagnola, and Larry Yore. During the awards ceremony, as the synopses of the carefully-prepared awards packets were read, pictures were projected showing the nominees working with students. The mini-biographies of the nominees were so outstanding and the pictures so beautiful. In the interactions among the nominees and students could be seen the kind of relationships that make learning and emotional growth possible. The judges spent over six hours choosing among the nominees but after much arm wrestling, they reached decisions
:
1. The winner of the Dr. Jessie B. Mason Award was Jill Hildenbrand
2. The winner of the Frances R. Fuchs Award was Donna Lauerhahs
3. The winner of the Robert J. Janus Award was Ken Kitchelt
4. The winner of the James E. Duckworth Award was Patricia Hall-Porter
The Council for Exceptional Children Chapter 263 and the many supporters in the room thank the nominees and award winners for the outstanding job they do and say “keep up the good work.”
