In late September, MTA Retired members will have an in-person event together for the first time in more than two years.
The Retired Gathering is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 29, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Westborough. Online registration will be available at massteacher.org/retired.
The agenda for the event was still being finalized as MTA Today went to press — but one highlight will be the Honor Our Own Award presentation, which will take place during lunch.
This year, two recipients will be honored:
- Beverly Saccocia, an MTA Retired member who worked as an Education Support Professional and was a long-active member of the Bridgewater-Raynham Education Association.
- Mary Cowhey, who retired after 22 years as a first- and second-grade teacher and a Title I math specialist in Northampton. She was a member of the Northampton Association of School Employees.
Saccocia, who now lives in Dennis, served as an elected or appointed representative on many MTA committees, including the Candidate Recommendation Committee and the Education Support Professionals Committee. She also served on the NEA Resolutions Committee and consistently attended the MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates and the NEA Representative Assembly.
Before retiring, Saccocia was an active advocate for ESPs in the Bridgewater-Raynham association.
She served as a liaison for ESPs on the local’s executive committee, as well as a negotiation chair for ESP contracts, according to MTA Retired member Lois Powers, the 2014 MTA ESP of the Year, who wrote a letter nominating Saccocia for the Honor Our Own Award.
"She demonstrated the union leader’s activism with her strong work ethic and commitment to the union and to the community," Powers wrote. "Beverly believes that a true union leaves no member behind: Each member is entitled to the same benefits and representation, no matter who they are."
Cowhey, who lives in Florence, was "legendary in the Jackson Street School community," according to a nomination letter written by MTA Retired member Dale Melcher. Over the course of her career, Cowhey became educated in and was a practitioner of traumainformed instruction and social-emotional learning. She helped lead the introduction of school gardens, among other accomplishments.
She was among the organizers of the Western Mass Educator Action Network — WEMEAN — which brings regional support to local campaigns. "Mary is the whole package," wrote Melcher. "A teacher, grassroots organizer, parent, union activist, writer, community gardener and winner of numerous awards for teaching."
The Honor Our Own Award winners are selected by the MTA Retired Members Committee.
