When I asked for nominations, I knew I was setting myself up for a difficult decision. 

The Tutor of the Year nominees include brand new volunteers, and those who have been here longer than I have. They work with ESOL and High School Equivalency classes. They are young professionals and retirees, male and female. 

And they are all -- as expected -- full of appealing qualities and positive adjectives:

" truly cares about the students success" 

"She's a treasure" 

"always has a smile on his face for both staff and students" 

"a steady, reliable presence that has stepped up and gone beyond"

"flexible, smart, and earnest yet she is so cool!" 

"a dedicated volunteer" 

"Simplemente... es especial" (Simply, she's special) 

"brings an incredible energy and a wealth of wisdom"

"smart, competent, engaged"

I know these volunteers - the praise is well deserved, and backed up by actions. This one arranged a field trip, that one rearranged her schedule to be there for the students, many have pinch hit, stepped up, gone beyond (choose your cliche) when a teacher or student needed them. 

All of them show up week in, week out to help. 

In the end, I picked the nomination that spoke to our values, our mission, and made me smile.

"...Students love and respect Bert from the moment they meet him, and he has become a vital member of our learning community. As a testament to this bond, Bert almost never gets right out the door when his tutoring time ends. The students always convince him to stay for lunch, coffee, and conversation before he goes..."

Please join me in celebrating Bert Thurber as our 2017 Tutor of the Year, and in thanking all of the volunteers who give so much, and inspire the rest of us with their dedication. 

Bert (left)  is a long time volunteer with HTM. He currently tutors with and ESOL class at the Community Education Project

P.S. Yes, the Student of the Year is selected. We're awaiting confirmation before releasing the name