On June 11, Nancy Franzese, of East Greenwich, was awarded an Excellence In Teaching award during a ceremony with Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and the Providence Public Schools Superintendent Susan Lusi.

It was quite an honor considering she was 1 of only 12 nominees for the Providence Teacher of the Year, out of almost 2,000 teachers in the Providence School Department.

Franzese is a special education preschool teacher at Pleasant View School. A teacher for more than 25 years, she's been working in Providence schools for 8 years.