Matunuck Elementary School Teacher Assistant named NEARI ESP of the Year

The National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) announced today that Cheryl Dyer, a teacher assistant at Matunuck Elementary School in Wakefield, has been named the 2027 NEARI Education Support Professional of the Year. She was honored Thursday evening with the Gail Colburn Award at NEARI’s annual celebration recognizing the contributions of Education Support Professionals (ESPs) across Rhode Island. 

Education Support Professionals are the Pre-K to college support staff – teacher assistants, paraprofessionals, custodians, secretaries, office managers, and more – who play an essential role in ensuring student success and keeping Rhode Island’s schools running every day.

For nearly 30 years, Dyer has been a steady, compassionate presence in South Kingstown schools, supporting students with a wide range of academic, behavioral, developmental, and social-emotional needs. From the district’s inclusion preschool and alternative learning programs to her current role supporting the third-grade classroom at Matunuck Elementary, Dyer has built her career on the belief that meaningful relationships are the foundation of student success.

Each morning, Dyer welcomes students to school with a smile and a personal hello, knowing hers is the first face they see. Those small moments help build the trust that allows her to support children through challenges in and out of the classroom. 

“Whether helping a student struggling with a lesson or offering reassurance to a child having difficulty navigating the day, Cheryl Dyer understands the difference a caring adult can make,” said NEARI President Val Lawson. “Her compassion for students, dedication to families, and advocacy for colleagues make her a true leader. We are incredibly proud to honor her as our ESP of the Year.”

Dyer’s commitment extends well beyond the classroom. While working at the South Kingstown Inclusion Preschool, she helped lead a community effort to build a fully accessible playground in memory of a young student who died following an epileptic seizure. Through fundraising, donations, grants, and volunteer labor, the community came together to create a space where children of all abilities could play, while helping a grieving school community heal. 

A dedicated union member, Dyer has served in numerous leadership and committee roles with the South Kingstown Education Support Professionals. Throughout her service, she has worked to strengthen the collective voice of her colleagues and advocate for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions, recognizing that educator working conditions are student learning conditions. 

“Our union gives us a voice!” Dyer wrote in her award nomination. “Committee roles have helped me have a better understanding of how important it is to band together as a group and fight for what we feel is fair and equitable for our members and students.”

Her colleagues describe her as dependable, unflappable, and deeply compassionate—someone who instinctively steps forward when help is needed and never seeks recognition for doing so. 

“Cheryl’s greatest strength is her ability to connect with children,” wrote Matunuck Elementary School Principal Elizabeth McGuire in her recommendation. “Some of the students who need the most patience and consistency are the students with whom Cheryl forms the strongest relationships.”

Bronwyn Maguire, a teacher assistant at Matunuck Elementary, described Dyer as someone who is widely admired with a ready ear to listen. 

“Her consistency and dedication to support our building does not change or fade,” Maguire wrote. “Her kindness is a reflection of who she is; she makes people, big and small, feel valued and special.” 

Dyer will represent Rhode Island as a nominee for the 2027 national NEA Education Support Professional of the Year Award. 

The National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) is a union and professional organization with a proud history of serving Rhode Island since 1845. NEARI is nearly 12,000 members strong, including classroom teachers; education support professionals; higher education faculty, staff, and graduate assistants; municipal and state workers; and retirees. We are affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA) and RI AFL-CIO. Learn more at www.neari.org.