For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018

Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: jessica@jgpr.net

Whittier’s Roxann Grover Earns Educator of the Year Award from Haverhill YMCA

HAVERHILL — Superintendent Maureen Lynch is pleased to announce that the Haverhill YMCA named Physical Education and Health Teacher Roxann Grover as its Educator of the Year.

Grover was honored during the 10th annual awards ceremony at Northern Essex Community College on Nov. 13. She was chosen from a pool of 15 nominees from the city of Haverhill.

“I was very excited because there were so many wonderful nominees,” Grover recalled. “Everyone was doing really great things in their respective schools, so I felt very honored to be chosen as the Educator of the Year.”

Along with a certificate from the Haverhill YMCA and citations from the House of Representatives, Grover received 25 three-month teen/youth passes to the Y, which she will distribute to Whittier students who express interest in fitness and may not otherwise be able to afford a membership.

This year marks Grover’s 40th at Whittier. She began her career in 1977 as a fitness and gymnastics instructor at the Haverhill YMCA.

Today, Grover serves as an influential department head, a role she’s maintained for the past 12 years. She oversees a number of initiatives that benefit the wellness of students, including Whittier’s Peer to Peer club — which organizes wellness awareness activities for students and faculty within the school to better the community.

Peer to Peer club activities have included the Walk for Hunger to benefit Project Bread and various food drives to assist Our Neighbors’ Table, along with heading up Whittier’s Walk Against Domestic Violence.

Currently, Whittier is holding its annual canned food drive to benefit Our Neighbors’ Table, and the homeroom or shop that collects the most goods for the drive will earn a plaque and a free breakfast for their generosity.

Additionally, Grover helped organize Whittier’s annual Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society, implemented drug and alcohol awareness programs for students and parents, and assembled bullying prevention activities for students and seminars for staff.

“I have been continually impressed with her driving commitment to excellence,” said Kelly Fay, Whittier’s Director of Curriculum, who nominated Grover for the award. “Roxann is uncompromising in her quest for quality educational opportunities for the whole student, and she never loses sight of her students and their needs. Roxann is a true team player and she is a valued member of our school community and the Haverhill community overall.”

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