WESTHAMPTON — Three teachers have been selected by the Hampshire Regional School District as the 2025 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award winners.

The teachers include Sue Rapoza, who teaches third grade at William E. Norris School; Warren Smith, an art teacher at Hampshire Regional High School; and Joanna Kalucki, speech and language pathologist at New Hingham Regional Elementary School.

The teachers were selected for their excellence in teaching through their innovative practices, dedication to their craft, and profound impact on students and colleagues alike.

The award recipients will be honored at an in-person banquet at the Log Cabin in Holyoke on April 30, where each will receive an engraved plaque and a check for $250, along with tuition incentives and scholarships offered by eight major colleges and universities in the region: American International College, Bay Path University, Elms College, Mount Holyoke College, Springfield College, Western New England University, Westfield State University, and the University of Massachusetts.

Winners also receive a three-month membership at the Springfield Jewish Community Center or one of the six regional YMCAs.

The Excellence in Teaching Awards program, now in its 22nd year, is made possible by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation in partnership with the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation and supported by the American International College, Arrha Credit Union, Country Bank, and Meyers Brothers Kalicka.

“Teachers are some of the hardest working people. We are privileged to honor and celebrate these extraordinary individuals whose dedication and impact reaches far beyond the classroom and who deserve all our appreciation and acknowledgment,” Uli Nagel, program director for the Excellence in Teaching Awards at the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, said in a statement.