By Geena Monahan
For the North Star Reporter
The North Attleborough High School Alumni Association hosted its tenth awards ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 8, at NAHS.
Close to 100 guests were in attendance, kicking off the evening at 6 p.m. in the high school lobby turned elegant event venue. The ceremony itself lasted an hour and a half, where alumni spanning generations were honored, awarded and remembered.
All five board members attended as well—Sean Fisher, Keith Lapointe, Mitch MacDonald, Tom Pirri and Patrick Reynolds. Current board member and former president, Keith Lapointe, remarked on how special this night always is and how impressed he is with the improvements that have been made over the past two years, specifically.
“My favorite part of this event is the spirit of community,” Lapointe said. “It’s so strongly on display, and generations of people always show up to support each other.”
North Attleborough Middle School’s physical education teacher and coach Jason Feid (Class of ‘91) was presented with this year’s Community Impact Award, due in large part to his 26 years as coordinator for the NAMS Hoops for Hearts program. With Feid at its helm, this program has been named a 22-time national champion for funds raised, totaling $1.5 million to date, with over 16,000 students participating throughout the years.
“In my 28 years of teaching and coaching, the most rewarding part has been building connections with students, with athletes and with this community,” said Feid in his acceptance speech. “The values of pride, tradition and perseverance that run through North Attleborough have shaped who I am. I’ve tried to instill those same values in every student I’ve taught and coached, just as my mentors did for me.”
Fellow North educators Wayne Griffin, Derek Herber, Scott Holster, Patti Johnson and Donna Newbury were also in attendance to receive the Excellence in Education Award. This award is given each year to recognize current or past staff members at all schools in North Attleborough for their commitment to excellence in the classroom and dedication to the students, staff and schools.
Herber, who teaches social studies at NAHS, noted the teachers and coaches who helped shape him during his time as a student in the North Attleborough schools, many of whom inspired him to pursue education as a career and have continued to serve as colleagues and mentors.
“The thing I love the most about the North Attleborough school systems are the lifelong relationships that I have built from my time here,” Herber said. “Now, as a teacher, I try to build working relationships with my students by helping them figure out what is best for them in and out of school. Some of my former students have gone into education and I hope that I was a little part of that.”
The North Attleborough High School Alumni Association is a non-profit, volunteer group of alumni, friends, faculty, and administrators of North Attleboro High School. The members seek to build and strengthen the community of NAHS graduates and to explore opportunities to enhance the educational experience of current and future NAHS students. Membership is open to all graduates, parents, and friends of North Attleboro High School.
Dr. Erica MacDonald Laplante (Class of ‘05) was awarded the Young Alumni Award, as recognition for her accomplishments in the past 20 years since graduation. Laplante excelled during her time at NAHS as a student and varsity athlete, and was named twice as a Boston Herald All-Scholastic. Laplante received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Connecticut in 2022, and currently works as the director of human rights research and DataHub at UConn’s Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute.
Throughout her years of tireless work in the realm of social justice, Laplante credited her fourth-grade teacher at Falls Elementary, Lois Grimaldi, for sparking a “passion for challenging the status quo and standing up for those whose voices often go unheard.”
Ernie Sandland, director of buildings and grounds, received the Honorary Alumni Award for his years of supporting and facilitating the construction of and improvements to North Attleborough schools. Sandland remarked that his past two years, working for this school system has taught him that people are at the heart of everything, and relationships matter.
“Whether it’s a vendor, a teacher, a student or a colleague, every connection is an opportunity to grow, to learn and to make a difference,” Sandland said. “Receiving this award is humbling to be mentioned alongside the other recipients of the Alumni Awards, and the previous recipients who line the walls of NAHS.”
