Student Achievements
GVSU M.Ed. Alum Awarded GRPS' Jean Hamilton Cope Teacher of the Year
December 01, 2021
From left to right, GRPS Board of Education and Superintendent Leadriane Roby honored Sherri Kraai, Jill Niewiadomski, and Nicole Durso as the district’s Jean Hamilton Cope Teachers of the Year.
Nicole Durso, a GVSU alum of the M.Ed. in Literacy Studies and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) emphasis, was among three teachers who received an award for the Grand Rapids Public School’s (GRPS) Jean Hamilton Cope Teacher of the Year.
The annual award was created in memory of Jean Hamilton Cope, former GRPS teacher, a dedicated kindergarten teacher at Huff Elementary School. The award recognizes inspiring teachers with effective teaching skills that encourage students to learn and take on leadership roles.
Durso and two other GRPS teachers became this year’s honorees and received a well-deserved $1,000 cash prize. Recipients of this award are also nominated for the Michigan Teacher of the Year Award.
Durso is a teacher invested in her students and their futures. “She cares deeply for our students and is willing to invest time in building relationships, implementing instructional strategies, and tracking down necessary resources for their success,” said one of her colleagues. The GRPS Superintendent Leadriane Roby described her and the other honorees as “three wonderful, strong, and capable women.”
In addition to being a science teacher, she is also active with the GRPS Equity and Inclusion team as a teacher representative to help build an anti-bias and anti-racism team at Union High School. On December 7, 2020, Durso was also recognized by WZZM 13 as teacher of the week.
Congratulations, Nicole! Thank you for your hard work and for inspiring our future leaders!