Edith Schwimmer

2020 Ruth Schwartz
School Social Worker of the Year Awardee

Edith “Edie” Schwimmer was selected as the New York State School Social Workers’ Association’s 2020 School Social Worker of the Year and presented with the Ruth Efron Schwartz Award in 2021 due to COVID.   

Edith is an exceptional clinician, fierce advocate for students and families, conscientious and collaborative colleague and incredibly valuable member of our school, community and profession. In addition to working with the students and families in her cohort, she participates in several building and district wide committees, runs a parent group for those with students on the spectrum, coordinates an annual fundraiser for families in need and is the de facto leader of the social work department. She is extremely committed to School Social Work as a field and has recruited, mentored and supported new people and positions throughout her time in the district. Her professionalism, skill, empathy, warmth, sense of humor and passion are remarkable and she epitomizes the potential and powerful impact a school social worker can have in an educational environment.

Throughout Spring of 2020 she was described as an anchor for her students, delivering Chromebooks, and helping her students with the grief, loss and anger that they were feeling as they navigated their senior year of high school. The 2020-21 school year brought her a new batch of Freshman. She was reported to visit students, literally where they were i.e. sidewalks, porches, and virtual counseling sessions, and a passing mention of the use of a kayak, to just name a few. She is described as humble and always passing credit on to others around her. However, it is said that to the students she works with, she is their person and she was the glue that helped them through. I can’t imagine anyone more worthy of this honor.

Presented by Wendy Castiglia.

The Ruth Efron Schwartz School Social Worker of the Year Award is awarded to a School Social Worker who exemplifies the qualities that Ruth Schwartz exemplified throughout her career as a School Social Worker. Ruth Schwartz believed in the importance of School Social Workers. She believed in helping the children and families in her care. Ruth often went the extra mile, including delivering coal to family’s homes when needed. Ruth was a founding member of NYSSSWA. She was responsible for picking the organization’s colors-blue to encourage students to reach for the sky, and white to encourage School Social Workers to be pure and true in their work with children. The award is given to a School Social worker who is both dedicated to helping the children and families in their care and to promotion of the profession of School Social Worker.