Bedard Honored as Hero in Education

This year's hero in education is none other than Peabody High's Seith Bedard for his work leading the district's alternative high school at the .

The Education Hero Award was bestowed on the Peabody Learning Academy Director by the local chapter of the American Red Cross at its annual Community Heroes Breakfast on March 15.

"It was a very humbling experience, first for receiving such an honor, and secondly for sharing the day with people like Firefighter Rice and Erin Pratt really was special," Bedard told Peabody Patch.

on Dec. 23 and was while Pratt, a 17-year-old lifeguard at Gloucester's Good Harbor Beach, saved three people from drowning in a riptide within a span of five minutes this past September. She received the Youth Hero Award.

"I am very thankful I have the opportunity to do this job and affect many young lives. It truly is an honor," said Bedard.

The Peabody Learning Academy was established at the mall in partnership with the Simon Youth Foundation in 2010 as one of its educational resource centers to replace a defunct alternative school program within the district. The mall academy is the first of its kind in New England for Simon.

, students who in many cases had initially dropped out of  or were about to, but wanted another shot at getting their high school diploma. In many cases, the new grads have gone on to college or entered the workforce via connections made through school.

This is what the Red Cross had to say of Bedard, in honoring him with the award:

“Colleagues are quick to point out that Seith is much more than a school administrator, frequently doubling as guidance counselor, therapist, nurse, bus driver and substitute teacher when the need arises.

"One co-worker, Raina Siladi, observes that Seith provides the school's students with ‘a personal level of support that I suspect many of them have not experienced until now.’

"In many cases, that support involves him putting in extra time at the mall, giving students after-school pep talks, maintaining an off-hours place where they can study, and meeting frequently with parents to discuss student progress. He also demands a lot from his students. He not only makes sure that they attend class regularly and abide by all school rules, but encourages them to do community service on their own time. Today, many of his students have become volunteers for Haven from Hunger and Habitat for Humanity.

"Seith also spends a great deal of effort out in the community, securing financial aid from private source and establishing contacts at local colleges.

"Sarah Murray, one of the teachers at the academy, perhaps sums up Seith's accomplishments best, pointing out that ‘the students who graduate from our program go on to become students and workers in our community and are able to contribute because of the second chance that Mr. Bedard’s efforts have provided them.’”