The Board of Education’s last meeting before the 2018-19 school year comes to a close included celebrating students and teachers.

“This evening, we are really excited that you are all here,” Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue said as the evening meeting began. The meeting room at Newtown Municipal Center was nearly full of school district staff, students, family members, and community members for the occasion. “We have some really special recognitions, so it is really a great evening,” she added.

Retirees

While Dr Rodrigue said the district is “happy” for educators retiring at the end of the 2018-19 school year, she said it is time for a bittersweet and reluctant “goodbye.”

“Retirees this year total 120 year of service in Newtown and 181 years total in education,” Dr Rodrigue said, prior to each retiree being called before the school board to be celebrated.

Petrice DiVanno was hired in 1999 as a third grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In 2002, she moved to fifth grade at Reed Intermediate School. Previously, Ms DiVanno taught for nine years in New Jersey and New York; combined with her 20 years in Newtown, Ms DiVanno has been teaching for 29 years, according to a release from the district.

Jan English was hired in 1988 as a guidance counselor at Newtown High School. Before coming to Newtown, Ms English worked as a college admissions counselor and high school counselor in New York, according to the district. Combined with her 31 years in Newtown, she has been in education for 41 years.

Maryrose Kristopik was hired in 2003 as a music teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She taught for 18 years in Connecticut before coming to Newtown, giving her a total of 35 years in teaching, according to the district.

Dorothy Schmidt began as a long-term substitute teacher at Head O’ Meadow Elementary School in 2003, according to a release, and she has been a kindergarten teacher at Middle Gate Elementary School since 2004. Before coming to Newtown, she taught in New York for six years, for a total of 22 years in teaching.

Michelle Tenenbaum began teaching in Newtown as a substitute teacher and was hired in 2000 as a music teacher at Sandy Hook School, according to the district. In 2003, she began working between Sandy Hook and Reed, and the next year, she became a full-time music teacher at Reed. She has a total of 19 years in teaching.

Dr Steven Malary, who was not able to attend the meeting, was hired in 2001 as a physics teacher at NHS. Before coming to Newtown, Dr Malary taught in New York, Pennsylvania, Bridgeport, and Stamford for 18 years. Combined with his time in Newtown, Dr Malary has taught for 36 years, according to the district.

Each retiree was applauded and given a wrapped present by Board of Education Chair Michelle Embree Ku and Vice Chair Rebekah Harriman-Stites.

Weller Excellence In Teaching Award Submissions

The Weller Foundation announced in April that Deborah Lubin Pond, a kindergarten teacher at Hawley, was awarded the 2019 Weller Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition of her project titled “Kindergarten Kindness.”

The Weller Excellence in Teaching Award (formerly The Weller Outstanding Teacher Award) program was introduced to the Newtown Public School System in 1991. The award recognizes the teaching quality and innovation exhibited by classroom teachers of kindergarten through fifth grade, according to the foundation.

“This year, we were really excited we had teachers who took the risk and sent in very creative projects,” said Dr Rodrigue, before highlighting Middle Gate fourth grade teacher Linda Baron, Head O’ Meadow music teacher Cindy Holberg, Reed Intermediate School Project Challenge teacher Cheryl McCaffrey, and Ms Pond.

Ms Baron submitted a project that honors veterans, and Ms Holberg submitted a project that shares cultures through folk dances taught to her students. Ms McCaffrey, who was not at the meeting, was also celebrated for her project, “Do the times makes the leader or does the leader make the times?”

Ms Pond earned the 2019 Weller Excellence in Teaching Award for her project, “Kindergarten Kindness.” She described the project at the board meeting as having her students involved in kindness efforts, like doing art projects with local seniors or recycling bottles. Thanks to recycling bottles, the kindergarteners donated money back to their school to purchase balls for the playground this year.

“My hope is that the things they are learning in the school will make them see the good in each other, the good in themselves, and the good that really is in this world,” said Ms Pond.

CABE Student Leadership Awardees

Two students from NHS and two students from Newtown Middle School were also celebrated at the meeting for being selected for this year’s Connecticut Association of Board of Education (CABE) Student Leadership Awards.

Dr Rodrigue explained the CABE Student Leadership Awards are given to students for “demonstrating outstanding student leadership skills.”

The selected students — NMS students Kirtana Kunzweiler and Joseph Crosby and NHS students Simone Paradis and Matthew Dubois — were called up to be honored at the meeting.

2019 Top Demi-Decile Students

NHS’s top demi-decile students of the 2019 graduating class were then honored at the meeting. After each student was called forward, those present for the meeting lined up near the school board.

Bryan Ingwersen and Hailey Pankow are the class’s valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.

Along with Bryan and Hailey, the top students were announced as Michael Arena, Audrey Benson, Ryan Brown, Gabrielle Calbo, Stephanie Cobb, Francesca D’Aprile, Claire Dubois, Matthew Dubois, Sarah Grant, Justin Kahn, Allyson Kenny, Fallyn Kirlin, Jake Kneski, Brianna Linden, Ben Nowacki, Caroline Reichmann, Nina Francesca Soriano, and Kiera Sughrue.