Deborah Schapiro and Lou Polish, MD, shared the honor of winning this year’s Above and Beyond Award at the Stern Center for Language and Learning’s 36th Annual Meeting on October 10, 2019. The award is given annually to someone who demonstrates exceptional commitment to the Stern Center’s mission to promote literacy and learning across the lifespan. Staff members are ineligible. Ms. Schapiro and Dr. Polish were recognized for their support over the past year which made possible the Stern Center’s latest publication, Activities, Games, and Lessons in Social Learning: A Practical Guide. Authored by Julie Erdelyi, M.A., Director of Social Learning and Communication Services at the Stern Center, the manuscript has been accepted by Corwin Publishers. Publication in January 2020 is expected.
The Stern Center for Language and Learning is a nonprofit educational resource in Williston, VT dedicated to enriching the lives of learners. For 36 years the organization has recognized that all great minds don’t think alike, and its staff helps children and adults reach their academic, social and professional goals. The Stern Center provides research-based learning evaluations, customized instruction and communication services for a broad range of clients, including those with learning disabilities, dyslexia, dyscalculia and other math-related learning disabilities, language disorders, social learning challenges, autism, attention deficit disorders and learning differences. Its staff also designs and delivers professional learning programs and systems change using current research and trends in education. Through the Cynthia K. Hoehl Institute, the Stern Center works with schools and individual educators in early literacy, oral language, reading, written language, social cognition, executive functioning and math. Scholarships are available. More information is at www.sterncenter.org.
Photo from left to right: Deborah Schapiro, Blanche Podhajski (Stern Center Founder & President), Julie Erdelyi, and Lou Polish