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Our Salute to Steller Schools
PHOTOS BY ANDREW SCHWARTZ

Manhattan Media convened the winners of the 2007 Blackboard Awards for schools on Oct. 16 with an awards ceremony at the New-York Historical Society. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt once again served as master of ceremonies for the affair, regaling the audience with tales of his days as a New York City public high school teacher. He wasn't alone. Educator after educator spoke about their love of teaching and the rewards, both tangible and abstract, that the profession brings.

When accepting an award for Manhattan Day School, this year's outstanding religious middle school, Rabbi Mordechai Besser, the principal, said, "I don't want to pick on dentists, but imagine pulling teeth for 25, 30 years and all that goes with it." He compared that with the work he and his fellow educators get to do every day: educating the next generation.