Interschool Council Celebrates 2026 “You Matter” Award Honorees

For the second year, the Interschool Council (ISC) has presented the You Matter Awards, which were created to highlight the incredible efforts of LMSD teachers and staff members who make students feel cared for, connected and valued.

The goal is twofold: to recognize these exceptional individuals and to raise the visibility of their efforts, with the hope of inspiring others across the district to adopt similar approaches that benefit even more students.

This year, more than 130 nominations were received from students and parents across all 11 schools. Winners were selected by a parent review committee whose members were unaffiliated with the schools they reviewed. Committee members read and scored each nomination using a rubric designed to measure the impact, frequency and replicability of the efforts described.

The recipients of the 2026 You Matter Award are:

• Belmont Hills — Kindergarten Teacher Kirsten Lawson
• Cynwyd — Head Custodian John McHugh
• Gladwyne — Head Custodian Dave Drummond
• Merion— 2nd Grade Teacher Dean DelloBuono
• Penn Valley — Special Education Teacher Christina Speaker
• Penn Wynne — Learning Support Teacher Lauren Seaman
• Bala Cynwyd — 5th & 6th Grade Math Teacher Nicole DellaMonica
• Black Rock — Spanish Teacher Grace Aragones
• Welsh Valley — 5th Grade English/S.S. Teacher Brenda Pezick
• Harriton — Latin Teacher Veronica Cambria
• Lower Merion— Instructional Aide Kirsten Lewis

Congratulations to the 2026 You Matter Award winners on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for the incredible impact you are having on students’ LMSD experience!