Five Local Educators Awarded Conant Fellowships

On Tuesday, June 16, the Harvard Graduate School of Education presented five outstanding educators from the Boston and Cambridge public school systems with James Bryant Conant Fellowships. Each of the recipients will receive one year of study at the Ed School.

This year's recipients are Marisa Bober, a mathematics teacher at Charlestown High School for grades 9-12; Elise Cucchi, a seventh grade humanities and French teacher at the Mary Lyon K-8 in Brighton; Xavier Rozas, who has built an integrated media program to support and highlight staff and student achievements at The English High School in Jamaica Plain; Christopher Tsang, a sixth, seventh, and eighth grade humanities teacher at The Harbor School; and Tanya Milner, an eleventh grade United States history and freshman Advancement Via Individual Determination teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

Boston Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson and Cambridge Schools Acting Superintendent Carolyn Turk introduced the winners to an audience that included friends, families, former Conant fellows, and members of the Ed School community. Noting the family members in the audience, Johnson reminded the recipients that, "no one stands alone."

HGSE awards the Conant Fellowships to support the professional growth of outstanding Boston and Cambridge public school teachers and administrators who have shown commitment to public education and demonstrated leadership potential. As a stipulation of the award, fellows are required to continue in their school systems for one year after receiving their advanced degree. Recipients are chosen by the Conant Fellowship Committee, which includes representatives from HGSE as well as the Boston and Cambridge public school systems.

The fellowships, named after the former Harvard university president who was a dedicated supporter of public education and a strong advocate of school reform, were established in 1986 to commemorate the University's 350th anniversary.

Recipient biographies

Marisa Bober has taught mathematics at Charlestown High School for the past five years. She received her B.S. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000, where she was a member of the award winning MIT Autonomous Underwater Vehicle team. Her interest in robotics, coupled with her professional experience as a mechanical engineer, led to becoming a founding member of the Charlestown High School FIRST Robotics team. In addition to mentoring the robotics team, she is also a faculty mentor of the Math Club. Bober will pursue a master's degree in education policy and management.

Elise Cucchi is a seventh grade teacher at the Mary Lyon K-8 in Brighton, where she teaches humanities and French. Over her many years as a teacher, she has led the drama and science clubs and mentored several groups of students in the Boston Science Fair. Her interests include special education and inclusion models. At Harvard, she will pursue a second master's degree in school leadership, where she hopes to further advance special education services in public schools.

Xavier Rozas works at the English High School in Jamaica Plain. During the past five years, Rozas built an integrated media program to support and highlight staff and student achievements. Drawing on his experience as a media professional, he designed and implemented an award-winning multimedia program at the school. Students in his classes embrace media literacy through the thoughtful creation of digital content including, WEHS radio broadcasts, ETV Newscasts, 1821Club.com (a community website), and the Blue Planet Gazette. He is the recipient of the Dola Award for Innovative Teaching Methods in Media Literacy.

Christopher Tsang has taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grade humanities at the Harbor School for the past seven years. He is proud to be a part of the National Writing Project and the Boston Writing Project. Tsang currently is writing a young adult novel focused on Asian-Americans living in the city. Tsang also serves on the Urban Sites Network Leadership Team and chairs the 2011 Boston Urban Sites Conference Planning Team. He will pursue a master's degree in the School Leadership Program, specifically to earn a principal licensure.

Tanya Milner has taught at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School for 10 years. She currently teaches 11th grade United States History and freshman Advancement Via Individual Determination. Along with teaching, Milner directed various summer programs such as STEP, JumpStart, and Rise Up, which work to support at-risk ninth graders. She has also mentored various interns from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and other graduate programs. Milner earned a master's in teaching and curriculum from HGSE in 1999 and a bachelors of arts from Haverford College in 1996. She will pursue a degree in the School Leadership Program to become a school developer.