On Friday, May 2nd, Orient Lodge welcomed Norwood educators to the Norwood Masonic Hall for the annual Teacher of the Year Awards Program.

This year, there were 24 nominees from Norwood public, parochial and Montessori schools alike.  Two rounds of judging were held (first round judges were comprised of Orient Lodge Masons and the second round was made up of engaged Norwood community members), before the awards ceremony.

We were fortunate to be able to welcome the Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, Most Worshipful George Forrest Hamilton, the Grand Lady Theresa Hamilton (who is a retired educator herself), Right Worshipful Shawn Robichaud (Deputy District Grand Master of the Sixth Masonic District of Massachusetts for Norwood and Westwood) and Right Worshipful John MacLeod (Deputy Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts) and his wife were in attendance.  It was an honor to host the Grand Lodge Suite of Officers.

Congratulations are in order, not only for our winner, Moriah Holmes from Norwood High School, but for all finalists and nominees this year.  It is evident from the submitted nominations that our educators give everything for their students and their learning endeavors.  For that, we thank each and every one. 

Please visit the main Norwood Teacher of the Year page for event photos and to read a digital copy of the program.

Thank you for coming!  Enjoy your well deserved summers!

Organized annually by the Orient Lodge of Masons, the Norwood Teacher of the Year Awards program recognizes teachers for their dedication and commitment to the education of Norwood students.

This year's nominees are:

• Balch Elementary:  Diana Martucci, Emily Shepardson
• Cleveland Elementary: Katelyn Malin, Mary Wesley
• Coakley Middle School: Faith Kimball, Terence Martin, Kerry Silva
• Norwood High School: Lindsey Connolly, Moriah Holmes, Jeff Loja, Daniel Reyes
• Norwood Montessori School: Ryan Marie Wicker
• Prescott Elementary: Maureen Condon, Michelle Fitzgerald, Michaela Webb
• St. Catherine of Siena School: Nora Armstrong, Stephanie Cobuccio, Victoria Giszczynski, Karen Gorman, Amanda Guidoboni, Kathleen Harrington, Danielle Iucalano, Caroline Parsons, Joan Sullivan
  

The first round of judging is currently being held.

The Awards ceremony has been announced:

Date:   Friday, May 2, 2025 - 5:00 pm
Location:   Norwood Masonic Building, 76 Day Street, Norwood, MA 02062

Tickets are available for nominees, program participants and members of the general Norwood educational community.  Please visit the Awards program page for more complete information and how to obtain tickets to attend:  https://www.orientlodge.org/teacher-of-the-year.html

Norwood Teacher of the Year Awards is a community program of Orient Lodge A.F. & A. M. 

This Masonic year has been a productive one for Norwood Masonic Lodges.  Together, Orient and Union Lodges held two successful blood donation drives at First Congregational Church in Norwood, our generous venue partner.

The blood drive had 32 confirmed donation appointments and had a 100% attendance rate for those who reserved in advance.  We also had two walk-in appointments. Overall, we had 34 total units of blood product donated (whole blood and plasma/platelets combined).  This is considered a highly successful result.

We hope to be able to expand the number of blood drives in the 2025-26 Masonic year.