HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Teachers from all over western Massachusetts were honored during the 20th Anniversary of the “Excellence in Teaching” Awards.

Three banquets are held each spring at the Log Cabin in Holyoke to celebrate the winners. Harold Grinspoon Charitable Trust Foundation gave the awards to more than 100 teachers this year. The awards are to inspire teachers at every level to strive for excellence, especially during these unprecedented times in the last few years.

Uli Nagel, the Director of Programs for the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation told 22News, “I don’t think many people actually realize what it takes to be a teacher these days, the range of students they need to accommodate, the many preparations they have to make for their classes every day, it’s stunning.”

Over the past two decades, the award has gone to teachers from 49 schools throughout western Massachusetts.