Rebecca Bergeron, Alissa Easton, Melissa Kriebel and Tammy Rumplik.
Reminder Publishing photos by Mike Lydick
AGAWAM — Four Agawam teachers — Rebecca Bergeron, Alissa Easton, Melissa Kriebel and Tammy Rumplik — are among more than 100 Western Massachusetts educators being honored with a 2026 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award.
Selected from 30 Agawam teachers nominated for the award for their exceptional teaching skills, they will be formally recognized at an award dinner and banquet May 12 at The Log Cabin in Holyoke.
Teachers from Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties are recipients of this award from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation and the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation. During the past 23 years, more than 1,000 teachers have been honored.
A first-grade teacher at Sapelli Elementary School, Bergeron has always believed teaching is a profession that chooses you — that it’s part of one’s DNA. “My mother recognized this in me when I was very young. She was a constant source of encouragement and support along my journey to fulfill the dream of becoming a teacher. Now my husband, Normand, is an unwavering source of support and encouragement.”
Bergeron said it’s an “honor and a privilege” to be a part of a child’s life — to educate them, encourage them to do hard things and help them become the best version of themselves.
Some of Bergeron’s proudest moments have been when she’s connected with families of her students and they have worked as a team to help ensure their children had the best educational experience possible. “I’m also very proud to be working at the elementary school my own children attended and where I am a member of the most amazing, dedicated and professional team of educators.”
Bergeron added that recognizing excellence in teaching is important because it validates the dedication and commitment individuals make to educating children. “I was stunned to learn I was being given this award. I’m deeply honored to be recognized in such a way for doing a job I truly love.”
Easton’s decision to become a teacher was “deeply influenced” by her aunt, a third-grade teacher. “Growing up, I watched her dedication to her students, but it wasn’t until I was able to complete an internship in her classroom during high school that I truly understood the impact of the profession,” said Easton, who teaches fourth grade at Granger Elementary School.
Seeing her aunt and other teachers navigate the complexities of a classroom with both empathy and leadership served as Easton’s role model. “They showed me that teaching is more than just delivering the curriculum. It’s about building a community where every student feels seen and capable.”
A second-year teacher at Granger, Easton said as a new teacher she often finds herself wondering if she is truly “getting it right.” She said receiving this award is important to her because it reminds Easton that although she is still learning, she’s on the right path.
“There’s a lot of work that goes on both during and after work hours to prepare lessons and materials to meet the needs of all students,” said Easton. “It’s important to note that there’s an entire group of staff and colleagues beside me who help and encourage me each day and that bring me so much guidance.”
Easton said the best thing about being a teacher is when students have a “light bulb” moment. “It’s such a pivotal moment in their learning process. You can see the student’s whole demeanor change in a positive way and their confidence boost. It makes all of the lesson planning worth it.”
Receiving the award has filled Easton with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. “To be recognized by my peers and the community so early in my career is a profound motivator that I will carry into my classroom each day.”
Kriebel, a Spanish teacher at the junior high school, credits her “fantastic” Spanish teachers at Agawam High School and her professors at Assumption College for inspiring her to pursue a degree in Spanish.
She added that while she always enjoyed the process of learning Spanish in their classrooms, her first career was working in marketing communications. During that time, a friend asked her to tutor her younger brother, who was at risk of failing his high school Spanish class.
“As I began working with the student, and watching his success grow along the way, I realized I had a passion for helping students fall in love with learning languages. That student ended up minoring in Spanish in college,” said Kriebel.
After doing her student teaching at AHS during the 2006-07 school year, Kriebel began teaching seventh and eighth grade Spanish at Baird Middle School in Ludlow. In 2023 she became an eighth grade Spanish teacher at Agawam Junior High School.
“This is my hometown, and I love giving back to the community that shaped me to be the teacher I am,” Kriebel said. “I really try to infuse joy in my classroom. I like to make students smile in my lessons, and then really celebrate their learning every day.”
Kriebel said speaking in Spanish can be intimidating and any effort at all to try to speak another language in front of others should be celebrated. “This year, I had a former student, who is taking career exploration in high school now, ask to shadow me for the day because he loved my teaching methods when he was a student. He said I inspired him to be a language teacher.”
Emails Kriebel receives from former students makes her feel proud her class leaves a lasting impact on them. “I hope it inspires them to continue learning languages and also to believe in themselves in whatever they do,” she said.
Kriebel said being recognized with this award is “both validating and motivating.” She added that receiving it “felt like my efforts were seen and valued — and it inspires me to continue doing the best I can for my students. This is not a job where you can earn spot bonuses for going above and beyond in the classroom. Awards like this make you feel appreciated.”
For Rumplik, teaching is a family affair. Her grandmother was a substitute special education teacher in Springfield and her husband is a science teacher at AHS.
“My mom spoke very highly of education and my grandmother’s job. My husband was the one who encouraged me to teach science and STEM. He said I was smart and creative and would be good at it. He helped me realize I was smart enough and capable to do it — even though during my educational years in junior high and high school I didn’t have the confidence to challenge myself and take risks.”
Now a STEAM (science, technology, arts, engineering and math) teacher at Doering Middle School, Rumplik has been working with Agawam students for 27 years – the first two years as a paraprofessional.
“I became a teacher because I knew I liked it from coaching and teaching Sunday School. One of the things I like best about being a teacher is encouraging students to be challenged, be confident and take risks,” said Rumplik.
She tells students not to be afraid to try new things and become more aware of the “amazing careers and futures” that are out there for them. “Some of my proudest moments as a teacher have been hearing students and parents let me know that their child has been inspired because of me or they want to go into robotics or engineering as a career.”
One of Rumplik’s proudest achievements is starting a summer science camp. “Parents and students love it. I’ve had kids tell me that my camp program was their ‘childhood.’ That’s a pretty awesome thing to hear.”
Rumplik said it’s important to recognize excellence in teaching because education is very important and should be held in the highest regard like it is in some other countries. “Education is going to give people skills that you take with you into all aspects of your life — whether it be career, college, or even family. Things like critical thinking, creativity, perseverance and so much more.”
