Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Two Extraordinary Teachers Win Prize for Excellence in Education

June 9, 2010

GREAT BARRINGTON, MA—Samuel Prouty, English teacher and dormitory head at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT, and Lisa Baldwin, Chemistry teacher at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, MA, have been awarded the second annual James C. Kapteyn Prize. The James C. Kapteyn Prize was established in 2009 as a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to honor the memory of the late James C. Kapteyn, a celebrated and beloved teacher of Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA. This annual prize is awarded to a high school educator who exemplifies excellence in “whole child teaching,” serving in multiple capacities within a public or private school community. Because of the quality of the applicants this year, these two winners will share the $10,000 prize and be awarded $5,000 each.

The fund was established in honor of James C. Kapteyn who dedicated his life as a secondary school teacher to embodying the idea that, in the words of William Butler Yeats, “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” Kapteyn passed away on January 16, 2007 at age 45 while playing indoor soccer with friends and colleagues from Deerfield Academy, his alma mater, where for seven years he had taught English, served as the sophomore class dean, coached girls varsity soccer and boys varsity lacrosse, and lived in a boys’ dormitory with his family. The primary mission of the Fund is to honor James’ memory by recognizing and supporting educators, who, like James, offer extraordinary gifts to their students.

After Kapteyn’s untimely death, his best childhood friend, Adam Reeves, approached the Kapteyn family about creating a prize that would honor him and keep his legacy alive by awarding an annual prize to an outstanding high school teacher. They established a relationship with Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation who developed guidelines and sought candidate nominations from principals and heads of school throughout the region, which includes Berkshire and Franklin counties, MA; Columbia County and Northeast Dutchess counties, NY; and Northwest Litchfield County, CT. A selection committee comprised of Kapteyn family members and area residents with expertise in the field of education, reviewed applications which included references from the respective heads of school, a colleague and a former student, as well as an essay on “Why I Teach” written by each applicant.

“We were thrilled this year to choose these two extraordinary recipients,” said Kirsten Kapteyn, wife of James Kapteyn, chair of the selection committee and the Associate Director of Admission at The Bement School in Deerfield, MA. “Both Sam and Lisa exemplify the spirit of the Kapteyn Prize and honor Jamie’s memory by impacting the lives of their students far beyond their formal teaching duties.”

Lisa Baldwin is completing her fifteenth year at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, MA. She is an educational leader with a passion for connecting with, engaging, and encouraging young people to challenge themselves in all areas of their lives. She teaches Chemistry to grades 9-12, supervises the Science Department and has also been a faculty advisor to student organizations such as the Student Senate, Community Council, Recycling Team, school newspaper, and science competitions. She is an active member of numerous educational committees and boards and coordinates several extracurricular events and activities for her students.

Said Baldwin, “I drive to work each day and feel happy, excited, and very lucky to have a job that brings so much to my life. The intensity of each day exhausts me and exhilarates me in seeming equilibrium. Many of my greatest moments of wonder, joy, and fulfillment have resulted from the relationships I have built with students and colleagues. I want to use the award money to organize a student based project whose focus will be to somehow capture and convey the rewarding power of excellent teaching. The goal of this project would be to inspire young people to consider making education their profession of choice.”

Samuel Prouty began his career in education ten years ago, in the field of college admissions and college counseling, and has taught English since 2005 at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT. His involvement in extracurricular activities has extended to coaching squash, softball, golf and debate. In addition to being a boys dorm head, and a member of the Student-Faculty Council and Discipline Committee, he was chosen to co-lead the Hotchkiss Antarctica expedition which brought 85 students and 15 faculty members to Patagonia and Antarctica in the winter of 2008-2009.

“Teaching allows me to touch lives while never ceasing to explore all that is interesting about the world around me. I have a love of travel and for literature that captures the spirit of adventure which I try to pass along to my students, so I intend to use some of the prize to fund a trip—perhaps to the national parks of the west or to Alaska. Ideally, I will be able to explore both new places and new place-based literature and will return with new ideas for fresh course material,” said Prouty.

The James C. Kapteyn Prizes will be awarded on Saturday, June 12th in a ceremony at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. The next deadline for the Kapteyn Prize is April 1, 2011. Applicants must first be nominated by their principal or head of school. More information about the application process can be found here or by calling 413.229.0370. The Kapteyn Prize is an endowment of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Thanks to its generous donors, in 2009 Berkshire Taconic distributed nearly $7 million in scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.