Faculty Members Receive Awards

Three esteemed faculty members were honored during KO’s Virtual Prize Assembly on May 19.

Upper School Math teacher Chris Vicevich received The Swain Prize during the ceremony. This award honors that continuing teacher in his or her first five years of teaching at Kingswood Oxford and his or her first ten years of teaching overall who best exemplifies Bobby Swain’s outstanding attributes as a student and teacher: a serious, self–disciplined approach to learning and a sense of humor—a combination that enabled him to inspire in others a spirit of cooperation which made scholarly disciplines a pursuit both joyous and rewarding. Vicevich graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Mathematics and M.A. in Math Education from the Teachers College, Columbia University.

Alison O’Donnell, who teaches History in the Middle School, received the Charles W. Collins Award for Excellence in Teaching. O’Donnell earned a B.A. from Middlebury College and an M.A. from Columbia. The Collins family — Kim ’75, Wylie ’79, Tris ’81, Jed ’88, and their parents, Nancy and Allen — established the award, which is named for Allen’s father. Charles Collins spent 50 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Everett, MA, public school system.

Long-time faculty member Scott McDonald received the Joseph and Jo-anne Alissi Coaching Award. This award honors that returning coach who best exemplifies Joseph and Jo-anne Alissi’s outstanding contributions to Kingswood Oxford, especially their sportsmanship, professionalism, enthusiasm, dedication, and the positive impact they had on every athlete and student they encountered. McDonald is an Upper School Art teacher as well as the Creative Arts Department Chair in the Middle School.