Mountain View School pre-K through grade 2 Adjustment Counselor Riane Nash was selected by Easthampton Public Schools as a 2026 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award Winner.
Photo credit: Easthampton Public Schools
EASTHAMPTON — Riane Nash, a pre-K through grade 2 school adjustment counselor at Mountain View Elementary School, was honored with the 2026 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award by Easthampton Public Schools.
Nash received the peer-nominated educator award for her work in social-emotional support with the young student population she works with.
“My role daily, I never know what I’m going to get,” Nash told Reminder Publishing. “Every day is so different, so my main duties are to do social skills groups with kiddos, and just be responding to any crises that may be going on in the building or help with students’ behavior.”
An Easthampton High School alum, Nash started working for the community as a paraprofessional in 2017 at Center-Pepin Elementary School and has stayed in the district since. Eventually, she went on to get her master’s degree and became a licensed social worker before taking on her current role as Mountain View’s adjustment counselor in 2020.
“I love this community. I love the people in it, and it just is something familiar too … my comfort zone. I just want to kind of give back to all who have helped me through the years in Easthampton. I’m proud of where I’m from, so I just want to be part of it,” said Nash.
She said it is an honor to receive the award because it recognizes her daily approach and work with students.
“I got it last week, so I’ve been able to kind of sit in it and think, ‘wow,’ because I’ve been in the school for so long, I know this is a big deal. It was really nice to have someone nominate me, and not just nominate me, but also for the admin. team to select me was just such an incredible honor,” said Nash. “I do a ton of behind-the-scenes work for so many kids and families that need help in our community. It’s nice to actually get recognized for all that hard work that I do because sometimes that’s the kind of stuff that usually doesn’t go noticed. But it’s nice that I have a team around me who does notice that and how I do go above and beyond my scope of things just to support the community.”
Nash not only provides direct support to her students; she also notices when others are struggling and ensures they receive the help they need.
In an announcement from the city, she “consistently goes beyond the traditional scope of her role.” The announcement said she visits “every kindergarten classroom to deliver social-emotional learning lessons” and collaborates with “teachers across grade levels to provide targeted supports as needs arise.” With an open-door policy,
“I actually decided that I wanted to go into all the kindergarten classrooms and teach a lesson weekly. That’s not on anyone’s IEP really, it’s just something I wanted to make sure that all kindergartners are getting so that they can use consistent language throughout the building,” explained Nash. “We use the zone regulation here at Mountain View School. so, there’s a lot of language like green zone, red zone, and so we use that as a community … I wanted to make sure the incoming kiddos have that because it’s good for all kindergartners to have some social skills and some self-regulation tools. The kids really like the zones and really get into it.”
The recognition also highlights one of Nash’s defining strengths, according to the city: creativity. Nash has consistently tailored lessons, conversations and interventions to meet each student’s unique needs, often balancing multiple perspectives at once, the city’s announcement read.
The city announcement also said that she reconnects students who may feel disengaged by involving them in kindness-based initiatives, such as creating hearts for Kindness Week, or organizing Cereal and Toy Drives.
“I think kids really like it when we have spirit week or something that’s a little out of the norm. So, when we do spirit week, or we do kindness week, the kids get more excited about it, and I feel like they’re more apt to take part and really listen to whatever message we’re trying to do. The Kindness Week; it’s something we’ve done for a while now, and I think it’s just a good message for kids to reflect on,” said Nash.
Along with weekly events, Nash explained that she has also helped incorporate kindness challenges where kids are tasked with making acts of kindness throughout a school day.
“It’s just kind of a lull time, so it’s good to remember kindness and to be a good community member and to support your peers around you. It’s just something we’ve always done,” added Nash.
Nash added that working with younger students over the past few years has been more important than ever, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Social-emotional need has been very important, and I think what we’ve realized post-COVID is really giving kids the language to express how they’re feeling, beyond sad, happy and mad. Just giving them more language to use or giving them tools to do something with that anger or do something about that sadness. What do you do with that? Well, go talk to a grown-up, or go do some jumping jacks. I think we’ve just dove more into giving our students more language and more resources on social-emotional learning,” added Nash.
In Easthampton, this award has become especially meaningful thanks to the fact that nominees are put forward by their fellow educators. The district also recognized all 13 nominees with certificates and personal thanks from the superintendent. By honoring all nominees, the district recognizes that these educators are viewed by their colleagues as professionals who consistently go above and beyond for students, contribute positively to their school communities and exemplify collaborations and leadership. A full list of this year’s nominees can be found at www.espd.us.
Nash and the other regional winners of the award will be celebrated at a banquet at The Log Cabin, where they will receive engraved plaques, monetary awards and regional college scholarships.
The Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards program, now in its 23rd year, is made possible by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation in partnership with the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, and supported by American International College, Smith College, Arrha Credit Union, Country Bank and Meyers Brothers Kalicka.
Nash reiterated her appreciation for the recognition and added that she hopes to keep growing in her role.
“I’m always looking for opportunities to grow. That’s how I look forward to just making sure the work that I’m doing now continues, and [to] just spread awareness so we can keep all the good work going,” said Nash. “I just wanted to say I’m just so extremely grateful for not only being nominated but selected. It’s a really big deal to me, and it’s just nice to be noticed for everything I do, especially when I feel like a lot of it goes unseen, so it’s nice to be recognized. I’m just so grateful, and I’m really lucky to have a great team that I work with closely.”
