CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley Regional School District officials have made a point of recognizing the achievements of their students at School Committee meetings — but on Monday, it was the instructors' turn. 

 

Lindsay McGinnis, Keith Wright, and Cori Scaduto, all science teachers at Hoosac Valley High School, were acknowledged at the state level this year for their educational work.

 

"There's a ton of research in education, we talk about it, we reference it regularly," said Assistant Superintendent Kristen Palatt. "But one thing that has not changed year over year in terms of factors that impact student achievement, the most No. 1 is, has always been and continues to be, the teacher."

 

She noted that the spotlight on applied learning has showcased what students are doing in class, but "we made the choice to put a spotlight on three of the amazing teachers that make up the high school science department." 

 

McGinnis, the environmental studies teacher, was presented Massachusetts State College Association's Outstanding Educator Alumni Award at the State House last year. 

 

Palatt pointed out there are many state college alumni teaching in Massachusetts so it speaks to the work that McGinnis does at Hoosac to be recognized at this level. 

 

Superintendent Aaron Dean added that McGinnis has been a driver of the pathways implementation at Hoosac and that "the state often looks to her to consult with other places that are looking to implement a similar program." 

 

Wright, a chemistry and capstone teacher, was named Science Teacher of the Year by the  Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers. He said the association also includes educators in nongovernmental organizations and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

 

He's been a not only a science teacher but a teacher leader during his 20 years in education, joking he was "exhausted" during the presentation when they read off his accomplishments. 

 

Dean said Wright's impact was "pretty immediate" when he arrived at Hoosac, as one student told him they'd learned more in one week of chemistry with Wright, than they'd learned all year.

 

"He's a student-centered teacher leader, he brought in the [Student Adult Advisory Board], as Kristin mentioned, he's a key cog in a lot of the work that we're doing at the high school around a culture of learning and a culture of applied learning," said the superintendent. "That's one of the things the students said to me: Tell me this stuff in ways that I can understand. He has the students applying it. So as we're building this programming around innovation pathways and we're doing this work, he's been a key guy to that."

 

Scaduto won Moderna's Excellence Award for Middle School at the 2025 Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair this year. She teaches biomedical science and human body systems and has been the driving force behind the school's science and engineering fair participation. 

 

"Corey has single-handedly increased enrollment in our biomedical pathway by 45 students," said Palatt. "And if you think about how big our student population is, that's massive. ...

 

"If you participated or attended any of our science fairs, you absolutely have no doubt why she won this award."

 

Palatt also had her turn in the spotlight as Leader of the Year from Massachusetts Project Lead the Way. 

 

"As a district, we're blessed to have such dedicated staff doing great work for the kids. So kudos to all of you for your recognition as well as theirs. We've seen the impact here with our students," said Dean. "The work doesn't happen without a leader that supports the staff.

 

"I think anybody that talks about Kristen would say she is a service-oriented leader. She goes to the trenches with people. She looks at what's what's happening, looks at what people need and make sure they get it."

 

The district adopted Project Lead the Way in 2019, but it didn't really take off until Palatt came on and pushed through grants, trainings, and implementation with the teachers. 

 

"Things are really going in a great direction, because we had a great leader working and in charge of that and helping pull it all together," he said.