The Sharon Parks Memorial Scholarship is given in honor of Sharon Bulley Parks, a Wilson Trainer who was committed throughout her life to her students and fellow teachers. The scholarship was established after her passing in 1996. Each year, it is awarded to an educator who has demonstrated the spirit of the Wilson mission in their career and has exemplified a commitment to literacy.
At this year’s conference, two outstanding individuals—Daniel Moriarty from Franklin, MA, and Lisa Trobaugh from Newark, NJ—were awarded the 2015 Sharon Parks Memorial Scholarship.
Daniel Moriarty is currently a Reading Specialist at Annie Sullivan Middle School in Franklin, Massachusetts. He has been teaching for twenty-four years, the past eleven of which have been at Annie Sullivan. Deanna Fogarty, Daniel’s Wilson Reading System® Level I trainer, said that his “approach to motivating students, addressing individual differences, and attending to the whole child is truly inspirational. Dan wants to change lives, not just teach reading.” Receiving his Wilson Reading System Level I Certification was a treasure for both him and his students, as well as the Wilson community.
Lisa Trobaugh taught full-time in the classroom for eighteen years before becoming an Academic Interventionist for the Office of Special Education for Newark Public Schools. In this capacity, she assists students and teachers from Pre-K to 12th grade in their academic endeavors. Lisa became WRS Level I certified in 2014. She taught WRS in a group setting, and currently supports teachers using Fundations® and Just Words®. Her trainer and colleague Kathy Greenwald expressed that “Lisa demonstrates an ability to listen to the concerns of teachers and acknowledges strengths and challenges of teaching and learning in the classroom.” She also added that “Lisa differentiates instruction and curricular activities so all students feel successful and maintain high self-esteem.”
Wilson Language Training was honored to present this award to two such devoted educators this year and looks forward to seeing how both Daniel and Lisa continue to support their students in the coming years.