WESTBOROUGH – The Mayflower Council of the Boy Scouts of America will present its annual Westborough Good Scout Award to Westborough Public Schools Superintendent Amber Bock and General Manager of Westborough TV Karen Henderson.
This is only the second time two individuals have been chosen to receive this award.
“I am deeply honored, and humbled to be recognized with Karen Henderson, for the Good Scout Award,” said Bock. “Westborough has been my family’s home for over 28 years. My husband and I are both Midwesterners, and the people of this community have become our extended family. I absolutely love this town, and I was raised in a family that believed in service to your community, so it is full circle to live and serve here as much as I am able to contribute.”
The Good Scout Award Dinner, which will be held Nov. 1, raises money to support scouting while recognizing people who personify the Scout Oath and have excelled in their career and personal lives. The Mayflower Council presents this award to individuals who have exemplified themselves in outstanding community leadership, have demonstrated a concern for the welfare of others and have been role models to all young people.
“It’s one of my favorite events,” said Henderson.
About the Good Scout Award recipients
Both recipients have strong community ties and have supported this event over the years. Bock has served on the Good Scout Committee, and Henderson has filmed the event.
Bock’s professional experience spans more than 30 years of leadership experience in the schools, including the past eight years at the helm of Westborough’s district.
Bock is an active member of the Westborough community. She serves on the board of Westborough Connects and volunteers on a variety of town committees. She is a member of the Westborough Women’s Club, and she has participated in her local book club for more than 13 years.
Bock earned her undergraduate degree in education at Wittenberg University in Ohio, majoring in elementary education and reading and her master’s of education degree in administration at Boston College. Bock teaches for the MSAA Leadership Program instructing future educational leaders for their Leadership Licensure Program, and she provides private leadership and instructional coaching.
As an educator, Bock has led various initiatives that have brought parents and faculty together to forge partnerships to solve problems collaboratively.
She and her husband, Neil, have been married for 30 years, have two children and have lived in Westborough since 1997. The Bocks are active members of the Congregational Church of Westborough, where Amber is known for her wreath-making skills at the annual church fair, when she isn’t busy serving on various church committees.
As empty nesters, the Bocks acknowledge that the family dog, Gordie, now holds the spot of favorite child.
Henderson, a longtime Westborough resident and active volunteer, has served since 2014 as general manager of Westborough TV. She was previously involved in national training and website management at the human resources and benefits firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide.
“I’m a bit uncomfortable [about receiving the award]. There are so many deserving people who do so much for this town. I’m certainly honored,” said Henderson.
Originally from Guilford, Conn., she holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Vermont. While at UVM, she met her now husband, Scott, and the couple relocated in 1995 to his hometown of Westborough, where they raised their children. Henderson and her family reside in the Parkman Parsonage, a local historical landmark home built in 1750 for the first reverend of Westborough, Ebenezer Parkman.
Henderson said that Westborough TV continues to help showcase the Boy Scouts’ programs and events. This includes covering the annual Pinewood Derby, playing a role in the Good Scout Dinner and having scouts come to the studio to earn their media badge.
“I always leave there so inspired by the work the Scouts do,” said Henderson.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Westborough TV produced a documentary, “A Salute to Scouting in Westborough,” that focused on young scouts, Eagle Scouts and “good scouts.”
“It’s a really great overview of scouting in Westborough,” she said. “It was a neat project to work on.”
Henderson is the current president of the Board of Trustees for Project Graduation Westborough, and she serves on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Spinney Vision Scholarship Program. Henderson is also a member of both the Superintendent’s Advisory Council and the Westborough Athletic Boosters Association.
She was an elected member of the Westborough School Committee from 2006 to 2012, serving twice as chair, and she then completed a partial term when appointed by the Board of Selectmen to fill a vacancy in 2013. She has actively participated in a variety of parent groups at every school level, including as a member of the Armstrong parent group, and as a member and president of both the Mill Pond and Gibbons parent groups.
Henderson was a member of the town’s Cable Advisory Committee from 2012 to 2014, and she currently serves on this committee as an advisory member. Over the past 20 years, she has made time to volunteer in classrooms, coach youth soccer teams and chaperone school events.
Since 2017, she and her family have been entrusted with the task of watering the Westborough Garden Club’s 28 downtown planters from spring through fall to help beautify Westborough’s downtown.
The Good Scout Award Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westborough with an opening ceremony at 6:55 p.m. Dinner and the awards presentation will follow.
For dinner tickets, sponsorship opportunities or further information, please contact Carlene Covino at 508-217-4622 or [email protected].
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