Announcing the Winners of the Second Annual Peary Awards!

Congratulations to all of the nominees, finalists, and winners of this year's Peary Awards! We created this program last year to recognize educators that go above and beyond to support students. We didn’t realize then that we were about to enter a period of time where every educator around the world would go to lengths beyond our wildest imagination to do just that.

How did we choose this year's winners, then?

Our six award categories are based on our Pear Deck Teaching Truths and mission, recognizing educators who create opportunities for every student to engage with teachers, classmates, and new ideas, every day. In December, we asked our community to submit nominations for educators and schools who help bring these teaching values to life. It’s always a joy to learn about educators, especially through the eyes of their peers. Some of the things we heard this community say about their colleagues and friends:

"Joel organizes gift drives, safety patrol, has after school clubs, and supports the staff by providing check ins. He does all of these things with a smile and a willingness to help however is needed. He is amazing, compassionate, and always kind.  We are very lucky to have him."

"Andrea makes space for students to express emotions about anything, she facilitates the sharing of each other's feelings when there is conflict and works with them through resolution. Her modeling for students enables them to feel space and practice expressing their emotions."

"Mrs. Holloway engages with students in meaningful dialogue and works to help them know there is an adult in the building there for them even when they’re not there physically. She is the most kind hearted person and teacher I know."

"I would describe Mrs. Herrera's class with three words: diversity, belonging, and community. Her positive attitude and patience are contagious among her students. Mrs. Herrera's class is a safe place to learn, grow, and even fail."

"Donna Long's 6th grade math class is one that I truly enjoy observing. She has built such a rapport with her students and it is because of her use of Pear Deck. She builds community by including SEL slides and encourages conversation amongst the students. Being in Ms. Long's class is a pleasure."

While every educator nominated is truly award-worthy, we tasked some of our Pear Deck Certified Coaches and Editorial Board members with helping us some outstanding nominees. After they narrowed down each category to five finalists, we opened up voting to the whole Pear Deck community — and you blew us away! We collected more than 37,000 votes this year to select our winners!

Winners were announced during Pear Fear Spring 2021 — if you didn't catch it then, you can watch it again here!

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Congratulations to all of our nominees, finalists, and winners. Thank you to everyone who nominated, voted, and helped recognize a peer. We'll see you next year for Peary Awards 2022!

View all the finalists and winners!

Illustration by Remy Usman