Sally Siegel Award

MARGE COLLINS RECEIVES THE 2006
SALLY SIEGEL FRIEND OF EDUCATION AWARD

The 2006 Sally Siegel Friend of Education Award was presented to Marge Collins. This award is given each year to a person who lives in the community and has provided strong support for public education.   The Palo Alto Educator’s Association presented this award at their annual party at the Cultural Center in Palo Alto.  For 40 plus years Marge Collins has exemplified the values and achievements deserving of the Sally Siegel Award.  Her work with students, teachers, administrators, parents and the community at large in every instance demonstrates exceptional intelligence, energy, focus, creativity and humility. These achievements include the following:

• President of Neighbor’s Abroad with special work with Sister Cities International connecting educators in Mexico, Sweden, France and the Philippines. Her work earned numerous Sister City awards for Palo Alto.
• President of the American Association of University Women in Palo Alto with special work on educational equity, sexual harassment issues, funding for public education and educational opportunities for women.
• Member of Centennial Education Committee celebrating Palo Alto’s centennial. 
• Served on boards of the Untied Nations Association, Gamble Gardens, Environmental Volunteers, and the Palo Alto Historical Association and representative for PAEA.
• Promoted literary through early intervention throughout her career as a teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District, Literacy Coordinator at the District level and as a retired teacher volunteering for the school district.
• Leadership in obtaining grants for funding literacy through the Whitney Foundation, Hewlett Packard, The State of California, the Noyce Foundation, and the Palo Alto Foundation for Education. 
• As an educator, she has served as an elementary school teacher for most of her career.  In addition she has been a Literacy Resource Teacher, state school program evaluator, Mentor Teacher, BITSA Coach, teacher for De Anza College and the University of California at San Diego.  She has presented innumerable workshops to parents, administrators, and teachers at the district, county, state and international level. 
• Founded or played a major role in the Literacy Summer School, the Writing Task Force, the Core Literature Program, the Classroom Library Program, Read Across America Day, and the Bring Me a Book Foundation.
• Helped develop the Palo Alto Reading Assessment program, which led to the 2002 Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association.
• Received Palo Alto’s highest honor for a citizen, the Tall Tree Award in 1994 for being the outstanding professional for that year.
• Received the Santa Clara County Reading Council’s Celebrate Literacy Award, the Lucille Nixon Scholarship, and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.