NHSTE Award Winners

2023 Award Winners

Previous Awardees

Click on the year to learn more about the awardees. 

* The NHSTE Technology Using Educator Award is named in memory of Pat Keyes; a former secondary teacher in the Keene School District who served NHSTE in many capacities including editor of the NHSTE Connections.

** The NHSTE Technology Impact Award is named in memory of Susan Janosz, longtime employee of the Manchester School District who was employed as a Technology Integrator.

2022 Award Winners

Pat Keyes Technology-Using Educator

Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award

Dawn Law Educator, Data Assessment Coordinator Moultonborough School District Teaching math and computer science in Moultonborough since 1983! Piloted the use of iPads in 2012, leading to district 1:1 iPad rollout Created and taught STEM curriculum to 5th and 6th graders Trains and supports teachers and staff in the use of SIS, electronic gradebook and Schoology LMS Advisor for the Robotics and MInecraft Club And . . . in her "spare time" Dawn serves as treasurer of the Moultonborough Lions Club!

Dr. Helfried C. Zrzavy Technology Integration Specialist ConVal HS, SAU #1 Peterborough Beginning in 2000, Helfried has served in the role of Technology Integration Specialist at elementary, middle, high and district levels.  Implemented 1:1 Chromebook initiative at ConVal HS Represents ConVal District on Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) Assists learners and educators with creative applications of multimedia technologies Training and support for district websites

2021 Award Winners

Click here to watch the Awards Ceremony!

Pat Keyes Technology-Using Educator	Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award
Dr. Rachael Ramsey Sixth-Grade Educator McKelvie Intermediate School Bedford, NH	Sandra (Sandy) Blanc Technology Coordinator Exeter High School Exeter, NH
Rachael has been an educator in public schools since 1997 and a middle level educator for over 20 years. She taught seventh grade math (including gifted and talented students) in rural North Carolina. Most of her career has been spent at McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford, New Hampshire learning with 6th graders. She is currently a Social Studies educator working and learning with a wonderful group of young learners and adults. Rachael earned both her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A.T. (Masters of Arts in Teaching) at the University of Pittsburgh where she completed her internship at Falk Laboratory School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Approximately 20 years later, she earned her Doctorate in Education at New England College, focusing on K-12 Leadership. Her dissertation examined adolescents with leadership opportunities and observed their executive function skill access. Her passion is providing young learners with opportunities to lead and become independent individuals. Rachael weaves together gamification, technology, executive function, and positive psychology to create experiences and an environment young learners will embrace and thrive. Her focus has been on the unique needs of middle level learners. For the past 15 years, she has sought ways to help students spread kindness and positivity within the classroom setting. Her goal is to have others excited to learn with her no matter their age. Rachael has been studying and researching executive function for many years, and loves to share her excitement with caregivers, educators, and young learners. During this time, shel has presented workshops to caregivers and educators in New England as well as at national conferences. Rachael shares how small changes within a classroom structure can allow young learners access to executive function skills as well as opportunities to thrive. Finally, Rachael has chosen to use social media platforms to provide executive function lessons and information. Her goal is to extend this knowledge with as many people as possible. Her YouTube channel and website, Teenchangers, provides resources, activities, advisory lessons and gamified experiences for caregivers, educators and learners who wish to learn more about executive function skills. In the future, Rachael hopes to start a podcast as another way to connect with individuals interested in exploring executive function skills access in and out of the classroom.	Sandy Blanc is the Technology Coordinator at Exeter High School, and has worked there since 2016. Prior to her technology career, she was the Art Teacher at Somersworth High School for 15 years. Sandy graduated from Laconia High School in 1995. In 1999, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art, from the University of New Hampshire. In 2001, she attended Plymouth State University to earn a Teaching Certification in Art Education. During her Art Teaching career, she was very interested in technology, learning, and teaching her colleagues about new technologies and ways to integrate them into the classroom. She began learning Google tools and earned a Google Level 1 and Level 2 Educator Certification. Sandy decided to pursue a career in technology and went to Southern New Hampshire University in 2015. In 2017, she earned a Masters Degree in Education with a Technology Integration Certification. The same year, Sandy became a Google Certified Trainer and has maintained the trainer certification since then. In 2020, SAU16 awarded Sandy a “Leader to Learn From Award” for recognition in her role as Technology Coordinator. During the pandemic school shut down, Sandy had an immense task of supporting staff and students for remote learning. She created accessible information for parents, staff, and students on the District websites, helping the school come up with creative technology solutions to various things such as food service forms, covid screening forms, and numerous tutorials for staff, students, and parents on how to navigate the technology from home. During her free time, Sandy enjoys training for triathlon, mountain biking, and hiking.

2019 Award Winners

Pat Keyes Technology-Using Educator	Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award
Ronald R. Danault Computer Science/Information Technology Teacher White Mountains Regional High School Whitefield, N.H	Joshua Olstad Director of Technology Oyster River School District Durham, NH
In addition to being a Computer Technology Teacher at White Mountains Regional for more than 13 years, where he teaches several courses including Cisco Computer Networking, Web Design, Computer Programming and Computer Science with Project Lead The Way, Mr. Danault is the coordinator for Running Start, a program that allows students to obtain college- level credit while still attending high school. He also serves as an adjunct instructor in Computer Science at White Mountains Community College and Granite State College.	Joshua has demonstrated to NHSTE and his peers that he uses technology as a means to improve learning and effectiveness in his district. With over 14 years in his field, Joshua has been instrumental in the advancement of technology in support of the districts’ educational missions, with particular expertise in infrastructure. Joshua Olstad is in his seventh year as the IT Director for the Oyster River Cooperative School District. In order to develop a better understanding of how technology can be used effectivity in the classroom to support learning and engage students, Joshua completed his Master of Science in Computer Technology in Education in 2012. He is a founding member and past President of the New Hampshire CTO Council and is currently serving as treasurer – in that role, he shepherded the CoSN affiliate to 501c3 non-profit status. He has also been instrumental in setting up the New Hampshire Student Data Privacy Alliance over the past year, in response to new state privacy legislation. His work has led to greater collaboration amongst district technology leaders from across the state.

2018 Award Winners

Pat Keyes Technology-Using Educator	Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award
Muriel C. Hall Bow Memorial School	Craig Sheil Bedford High School
Muriel Hall has worked at Bow Memorial School since 1988. For the past 16 years, Muriel has worked as the Computer Lit/Tech Integration educator and has served on both the district and the school’s technology committee. Ms. Hall  is a team leader at Bow Memorial Middle School, going above and beyond as an educator in her field.She is highly certified in her field; Google Apps Trainer: Education, SMART BoardTM Trainer, Intel® Master Teacher, and NYNEX Teachers Teaching Teachers. .Muriel has been awarded with NEA-NH Christa McAuliffe Leadership Award (2015), The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program Finalist and The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence (2002) Her passions are sharing and collaborating to continuously improved her professional practices and her school community.	Craig Sheil has demonstrated to NHSTE and his peers that he uses technology as a means to improve learning and effectiveness in his district; by leading 1:1 Chromebook transformation and developing innovative ways of technology learning Craig Sheil is currently serving his 16th year in education. He started his career at Monadnock Regional High School as a mathematics teacher. Four years later he was hired for the same position at Bedford High School. He was part of the original staff that helped open up the school 12 years ago. For the past 8 years, he has been the Tech Integrator at Bedford. Craig has helped teachers and students with the transition into a 1:1 digital learning environment using Chromebooks beginning in 2015. His love for helping others can be seen on a daily basis. Not a day goes by that staff can’t hear his distinct laugh in the hallways or classrooms. He truly enjoys helping teachers find meaningful and efficient ways of implementing technology into their curriculum. Craig continues to design innovative professional development for staff, collaborate with the counseling department in designing digital citizenship curriculum, and help oversee student portfolios at the high school. Craig is a Google for Education Trainer and a co-leader of the NH Google Educator Group. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Fitchburg State University teaching graduate level technology courses for educators. Outside of the professional world, Craig can be found spending time with family and friends, hiking, relaxing on a beach, or exploring the world.

2017 Award Winners

Pat Keys Technology-Using Educator	Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award
Shannon Siegler Laconia Middle School	Holly Doe Pelham School District
Shannon had worked in Prince George's County and Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland for 10 years as a middle school English teacher prior to moving to New Hampshire. For the past 15 years, Shannon has worked at Laconia Middle School, as a 8th grade English teacher, as a department team leader, and has served on the Laconia Technology Council. Ms. Siegler is a team leader at Laconia Middle School, but beyond this she is a technology leader in the district. Every conversation with her is thoughtful and connected back to neuroscience and best practices for teaching. In her eighth-grade classroom she is engaging while also being rigorous; she is inventive, using social media and all the tools founds within the Microsoft Office 365 platform in her classes. She pushes her students to think, question, connect, and synthesize. Shannon has garnered attention from many in New Hampshire from presenting at the Laconia Technology Conference, Laconia Summer Institutes; Christa McAuliffe Conference, New England League of Middle Schools Annual Conference, and Association for Middle Level Education Annual Conference. She has shown and shared her diverse knowledge on many topics; such as Twitter in the classroom starting a 1:1 classroom, integrating technology, in middle school, digital citizenship, and using technology in brain-friendly classroom by presenting at numerous workshops and conferences.	Holly Doe has demonstrated to NHSTE and her peers that she uses technology as a means to improve learning and effectiveness in her district, by leading one of the first 1:1 Chromebook initiative in grades K-12 digital transformation. Holly has over 23 years of experience as a classroom teacher, Technology Integrator, and Director of Technology. She has began working in the Pelham School District since 2008 and taught a STEM class that reaches to over 800 students from 1st to 8th grade. Her STEM classroom focused on the engineering design process and relating STEM challenges to authentic global issues. Holly Doe is also a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, a Google Certified Innovator and has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching in 2012. Currently, Holly is the President of the NHCTO organization. Her work has became a model for other school districts, and like many early adopters, she shares her experiences with others. She is an active member of the PowerSchool User Group, COSN, and NHSTE. Most importantly, Holly is the mom of three very diverse children. Their interests and strengths reinforce her daily on assisting the needs to all diverse learners.

2016 Award Winners

- No Awards Were Given

2015 Award Winners

Pat Keys Technology-Using Educator	Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award
Brian Gray, Sanborn Regional High School	Terry Bullard, Bedford School District
Brian Gray has been leading the technological revolution Sanborn Regional High School for nearly eight years. In the classroom, he replaced traditional textbooks and paper assignments with an iPad-based curriculum. His students now gather information from an interactive textbook and online sources, then complete assignments using a wide variety of collaborative apps -- including Nearpod, GAFE, and KidBlog. Brian also conceived and co-developed the school’s Modern Media electives, in which students create video news segments that stream around the school, on a YouTube channel and even on local cable outlets. The class also features a Twitter feed and live streams Sanborn’s commencement ceremonies to friends and relatives of graduates around the world.  As an avid basketball fan and coach, Brian takes technology to the court as well. He tracks his team’s progress with data collected on apps and video. Using this data, Brian has developed targets for his players that helped guide the team to a 19-0 record last season. He also created Sanborn’s annual 3-on-3 tournament, a wildly popular fundraiser that, needless to say, uses iPad-based apps to schedule games and record results.  Brian’s work has garnered attention around the country, and even beyond U.S. borders. Visitors frequently observe his classroom -- including New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan, teachers and administrators from as far away as Afghanistan, and federal education officials. His class has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The Christian Science Monitor and National Public Radio.	Terry Bullard is in her 3rd year as the Director of Technology for the Bedford School District. Previously, she served as the Director of Technology for the Windham School District for 16 years and the Technology Director for the Manchester School District for 12½ years prior. As a Technology leader for over 30 years, her passion has been to implement a shared vision for effectively integratingtechnology to enhance teaching and learning. Considered a “Change Agent”, she challenges administrators and teachers alike to think outside the box as to how technology can be used to transform the world of teaching and learning. Terry believes that technology is more than a “tool” but that it is an integral part of student and professional life.  Although Terry has been led many technology initiatives throughout her career, she is most passionate about the two one-to-one initiatives that she has implemented, the first in the Windham School District with the opening of it’s new high school in 2009 and the second at Bedford High School in 2015.  Terry believes that a one to one digital learning environment where students and teachers have access to content 24-7 creates unlimited opportunities to improve teaching and learning. A successful 21st century learning environment requires a team effort including staff, students, parents and the community in order to create a culture that embraces this paradigm shift.  Each month, Terry also hosts two User’s Groups – Powerschool and Google Apps for Education administrators. Over 55 school districts attend meetings where a variety of topics are presented, shared and discussed.

2014 Award Winners

Pat Keys Technology-Using Educator	Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award
Amy Moskwa, Riddle Brook Elementary School	Bill Carozza Harold Martin and Maple Street Schools

2013 Award Winners

Swazey Central School

Virtual Learning Academy Charter School

2012 Award Winners

Steve Gagnon Stratham Elementary	Pam McLeod Alton School District

2011 Award Winners

Susan Kessler Chester Academy	Sonja Gonzalez Oyster River Cooperative School District, Durham

David Gingrich	Andy Littlefield
Belmont Elementary School	Cooperative Middle School, Stratham

2008 Award Winners!

2007 Award Winners!

Susan Janosz Technology Impact Award	Pat Keyes Technology Using Educator
Chris Nelson	Maria Knee
Who is Christina Nelson? "She is a mentor, leader, and model practitioner who has had a tremendous impact on the Manchester School District throughout the past four decades."  "She is true educational leader with a great vision and commitment to excellence.  While serving as Coordinator of the Greater Manchester Professional Development Center Christina's vision and commitment to excellence provided  hundreds of training opportunities in the use and integration of technology." Margo Burns Technology Integration Specialist, GMPDC  "Christina Nelson is a dedicated educator who has given so much to improve learning opportunities for staff and students.  The impact she has had on the Manchester School District and districts across the state of NH for the past 39 years is immeasurable."    Michael Ludwell - Superintendent of Schools	Who is Maria Knee?  She is “The Kinderkids” Classroom Teacher!  Maria is an exemplary, model educator who uses technology to enrich the lives of each of her students.  “From using digital microscopes with her primary aged students to investigate the pond in her classroom to capture “real life” images of the creatures that live there, to the blog that her class has developed which allows her students to connect with worldwide buddies, Maria’s students’ lives are enriched by the experiences she consistently shares with them and their families.”  Maria is a caring individual, a tireless champion for helping others understand the power that technology has in helping kids to grow as learners.  Maria is an inspiration to all of us!