Becky Marszalek, a paraprofessional at Avonworth Elementary School in Pittsburgh, is the Pennsylvania State Education Association’s (PSEA) Dolores McCracken Education Support Professional of the Year for the 2024-25 school year

HARRISBURG, PA (Nov. 19, 2024) — Becky Marszalek, a paraprofessional at Avonworth Elementary School in Pittsburgh, is the Pennsylvania State Education Association’s (PSEA) Dolores McCracken Education Support Professional of the Year for the 2024-25 school year.

The announcement came during American Education Week and as schools across the commonwealth prepare to celebrate Education Support Professionals Day on Nov. 20, a day to recognize the hardworking support staff who help meet students’ needs and make our schools run smoothly.

“I am honored to be named PSEA’s Dolores McCracken Education Support Professional of the Year,” said Marszalek, who has also served as the president of the Avonworth Education Support Professionals Association for the past 11 years. “I am so proud of the support professionals that I represent and my PSEA colleagues across Pennsylvania who work every day to ensure students have the support they need to thrive and succeed.”

Marszalek has worked both as a classroom paraprofessional and one-on-one aide. Her colleagues praise her ability to form strong bonds with her students that extend beyond the classroom.

“Becky goes to school every day with a mission,” said Melissa Costantino-Poruben, a teacher and member of the Avonworth Education Association who nominated Marszalek for this award. “She wants to ensure every student feels loved, welcomed, and valued for their unique abilities and talents.”

In nominating Marszalek, Costantino-Poruben wrote that she works to create “a supportive environment where students feel comfortable sharing their concerns or celebrating their achievements,” and that she “projects a calming presence” that helps students feel comfortable around her.

Costantino-Poruben also said Marszalek is willing to support students inside and outside the classroom, noting that Marszalek was so committed as a one-on-one paraprofessional for a student in a wheelchair who participated in marching band that she learned the routines and traveled with the student to all marching band events.

Colleagues also praise Marszalek for going above and beyond to support teachers and fellow support staff at Avonworth.

“In fact, her colleagues often lovingly refer to her as ‘mom’ because she looks out for and supports those around her with grace, generosity, loyalty, and unconditional love,” Costantino-Poruben said.

For the past 11 years, Becky has served as the president of the Avonworth Education Support Professionals Association, successfully negotiating two contracts that secured fair compensation and benefits for the support staff she leads. She is also active with PSEA and the National Education Association, attending events and conferences, including NEA’s Leadership Summit.

Marszalek is a lifelong resident of the school community she serves and a graduate of Avonworth High School. She has volunteered with community organizations, including the Ohio Township Volunteer Fire Company Auxiliary where she serves as the past president.

PSEA President Aaron Chapin said Marszalek reminds us that support professionals are instrumental in both the academic and emotional well-being of students.

“I am so glad that the students of Avonworth Elementary have somebody as kind and dedicated as Becky Marszalek to help them build their confidence, learn in the classroom, and excel in life,” Chapin said. “As president of her local, Becky is also a strong voice for her fellow support professionals, and as our Dolores McCracken Education Support Professional of the Year, she will be a wonderful ambassador and advocate for support staff across Pennsylvania.”

Marszalek will be honored at the PSEA House of Delegates’ meeting in December. She is also a nominee for the National Education Association’s Education Support Professional of the Year in 2025.

PSEA’s Education Support Professional of the Year award honors the memory of the late Dolores McCracken who served as PSEA’s president until her death in November 2018 following a brief battle with cancer. McCracken worked as a paraeducator in a sixth-grade inclusion classroom in the Council Rock School District for nearly two decades. During that time, she was a local, region, and statewide PSEA leader, becoming the first education support professional member to serve as PSEA’s president.

An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, student teachers, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.