The Berrien RESA Special Education Parent Advisory Committee will celebrate the work of special education teachers, administrators, building staff, and volunteers with its 2026 Annual Excellence in Education Award Reception next week.
RESA Superintendent Eric Hoppstock tells us from a list of nine nominees, one person will be announced as the overall award winner during the reception.
The committee created the awards about 15 years ago, and the winner could be anyone who works with special education students. Hoppstock remembers a bus driver who received a special nomination for having an impression on parents.
“They realized that the day started not when they got to school, but when they got picked up, and so he was recognized for going above and beyond in just the relationships he built with students,” Hoppstock said.
Paraprofessionals and physical therapists have won. Hoppstock says it takes particular qualities to work in special education — things like heart.
“How would we treat those that have a disability? Because if we live long enough, we’ll all inherit one. Our eyes will start to go, our hearing will go. We will probably have mobility issues, and so disability is potentially before all of us. But it is a special, special calling.”
Hoppstock says the nominees were selected by parents or their school districts in Berrien County for their contributions to the education and success of students with impairments.
The awards will be held Tuesday, March 10 at the RESA Administrative Conference Center in Berrien Springs. The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee includes two representatives from each school district in Berrien County. It works with Berrien RESA to discuss special education issues and to create an additional link between Berrien RESA services and the local school districts.
The nominees are:
Brandywine Community Schools
Tiffany Desmond, Special Education Aide
Jessica Hawes, Special Education Teacher
Lakeshore Public Schools
Paula Hazzard-Reed, School Social Worker
Becca Kurina, Special Education Teacher
Adriana Miu, Special Education Teacher
Berrien RESA
Jessica Allard, ASD Teacher
Meghan Hall, ASD Paraprofessional
Kellie Lynch, LEC Teacher
Kaley Marsh, ASD Teacher
