Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Jerome T. Murphy (right) speaks to two of the six James Bryant Conant Fellows -- Ling Hsiao (left) and Cheryl Campbell -- during a reception honoring the recipients at the Faculty Club on May 31. Staff photo by Justin Ide

Gone for good is the notion that "town and gown" move in separate orbits. Thanks to programs such as the Conant Fellowship Fund at the Graduate School of Education, relations between the University and local public schools are better than ever. Established in 1986 in honor of James Bryant Conant, a former Harvard president (1933-53) and fan of public education, the fund brings approximately six outstanding teachers and administrators each year from Boston and Cambridge to GSE as Conant Fellows. Those chosen to receive full tuition grants for the 2000-01 academic year include:

Tamara Lynn Berman, a seventh- and eighth-grade humanities teacher at the Cambridgeport School, is also a writer, curriculum consultant, and recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award in 1996. She will pursue a master’s degree in School Leadership.

Cheryl Dionne Campbell, a third- and fourth-grade teacher at the Bates Elementary School in Boston, has also served for the past 15 years as a Good Samaritan volunteer, providing disadvantaged students with visits to libraries and museums. She will pursue a master’s degree in Technology in Education.

Ling Hsiao, a second-grade teacher at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Boston, helps integrate technology into the Boston Public Schools as a Pioneer Adapter volunteer. She has also developed curriculum for the Tibetan Youth Education Centre in Dharamsala, India. She will pursue a master’s degree in Technology in Education.

Steven Orlando Matteo, a language arts teacher at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, has designed curriculum for the school’s bilingual summer program and currently serves as head adviser to its literary magazine. He will pursue a Certificate of Advanced Study in Learning and Teaching.

Sonja Joy Oakrum, the internship coordinator and a language arts teacher at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, also coordinates the First-Year Teacher Support Group at the school. She has served as a research assistant on major studies of girls and Puerto Rican adolescents and plans to pursue a master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology.

Toby Nicolas Romer, a Spanish and French teacher at Brighton High School in Boston, also serves as the coach of the boys’ volleyball team. He is a founder, teacher, and coach of SCORE Higher SAT Preparation Program at the school and will pursue a masters’ degree in School Leadership.