Salem Educator Awarded Massachusetts Distinguished Service Honor

SALEM, MA — A family engagement facilitator at Salem Public Schools was one of nine American Federation of Teachers members honored with the AFT Massachusetts Distinguished Service Award at a recent ceremony at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Anny Cruz is in her fourth year at Salem Public Schools.

The AFT Massachusetts Distinguished Service Awards are presented annually to members who have demonstrated an outstanding level of service and dedication to their local unions.

"I don’t think family engagement facilitators are seen as educators and a lot of people don't understand what we do," she said. "So to be selected from the whole PSRP (paraprofessional and school-related personnel) unit makes you feel valuable. That was why I was loud during our negotiations."

Cruz has worked extensively at the Bentley Academy Innovation School and the Horace Mann Laboratory School.

"Anny has been an integral part of the culture at Bentley Academy Innovation School as well as a
strong member and advocate for PSRP members, specifically our family engagement facilitators,” said Ann Berman, president of the Salem Teachers Union. "She is never afraid to speak her mind and doesn’t hold back, regardless of who is in the room.

"As a parent of Salem Public School students, Anny has a unique perspective as to what our kids need and she continues to speak up at school committee meetings to make sure that management knows what kids need — that she is not backing down when it comes to being a fierce mama bear."

Cruz is the second SPS educator to be honored by the AFT Massachusetts in as many years. Last year, Keeghan Hughes, a special education teacher at the Carlton Innovation School, received an award for distinguished service.

A resident of Salem, Cruz has two children at SPS: Isabella, a junior at Salem High School; and Fernando, a fourth-grade student at Horace Mann.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)