Lorie Beard, the instructional coach at Northwest Elementary School, was recognized at the annual Bright Lights luncheon hosted by the Association of Suffolk Supervisors for Educational Technologies.  

As the instructional coach for the past three years at Northwest, Ms. Beard works with teachers on all facets of the curriculum, with technology integration becoming an increasing part of her role. She supports the district’s first-, second- and third-grade classes by helping teachers grow their technology skills through classroom support and professional development opportunities. 

Chromebooks have become a popular learning tool and Ms. Beard has worked with teachers to create technology-based lessons. She uses Google’s GSuite as a method for communication and collaboration on all academic fronts and also uses technology to share and manage student data to help drive instructional decisions.  

Ms. Beard has been working to create “one place access” for Northwest’s English language arts curriculum. The expanding Google Document includes links to the standards, lessons and useful resources for teachers. 

“It’s definitely an honor and nice to be recognized,” she said of the Bright Lights award. “Sometimes you’re just doing your thing, and this gives you a moment to pause and reflect, and realize that you are doing good work.”

Ms. Beard was nominated by Carole Polney, the assistant superintendent for technology and administrative services, a past president of ASSET. They serve as co-chairs of Amityville’s Technology Committee.

“Lorie is an invaluable member of the staff at her building and always supports district technology efforts with enthusiasm,” Ms. Polney said. “She works with teachers so they can empower each other, as well as their students.”