Two Morgan Hill Unified School District education pioneers were selected as recipients of the California Federation of Teachers’ Women in Education Award.
Current Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers President Gemma Abels—an English teacher—and her predecessor Theresa Sage—a former history teacher and now assistant principal—received the CFT’s top honor for their strong support and commitment to improving public education for all students.
“As MHFT leaders, we have helped to recreate our evaluation system, have created a stronger relationship between educators and families in the district, worked collaboratively with the district to improving working conditions for teachers and ensure that district initiatives such as Common Core implementation and integration of technology are successfully implemented through professional development and accountability,” Abels shared.
The two were presented with the award by CFT Vice President Melinda Dart during the March 12 CTA Convention.
Abels, who worked side by side with Sage before taking over the presidency for the 2015-16 school year, added that together they “worked to preserve our neighborhood schools by fighting charters that we felt would not provide a comprehensive education to our students.”
During her awards speech, Sage talked about how her parents instilled union values into her from a young age. Her mother, Barbara Finkemeir, received a standing ovation.
Sage, along with Abels, mentioned the many women who have led MHFT over the years, including current MHUSD Trustee Donna Ruebusch and Principal Mary Alice Callahan. They also praised the MHFT current leadership unit of Lori Shoemaker, Andrea Kusanovich and Terri Eves-Knudsen.
Abels brought delegates to tears with her story of dedication to public education and her recovery from ovarian cancer diagnosed last fall.
“I wanted all of the women educators in the room to know the signs of ovarian cancer,” Abels said. “There is no screening test for ovarian cancer, and its symptoms are not widely known. If you have any of these symptoms more than 12 times in one month you should see a doctor: bloating, changing in frequency of urination, loss of appetite and feeling full quickly, and pelvic or abdominal pain.”
