The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Nearly 40 of the school district’s teachers and educational service professionals were honored November 3 at a special breakfast.
For some, the ceremony was a year in the making.
The district has been honoring its Teachers and Educational Service Professionals of the Year with a special breakfast since John Ravally became schools Superintendent in 2015. The ceremony could not be held last year because of the pandemic.
So this year, 39 honorees for school years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 were recognized during the ceremony at The Marigold on Hamilton Street.
Among the speakers at the event was Board of Education president Nancy LaCorte, who listed several characteristics shown by the educators honored that day. Among them were that the they worked collaboratively, they loved their children and they were able to adapt to the virtual teaching environment over the past year.
“We really, really sincerely thank you for everything that you do in a normal year, but you guys have managed to do this in such an unusual time,” she said. “You’re the shining stars of our district and we are all very proud of you.”
Nicolas DiMeglio, chairman of the Franklin Township Public Schools Parent Organizations Presidents Council, told the honorees that his organization appreciates “how our teachers and SP played a large role in our students well-being and long-term success.”
“You all truly shine,” he said. “You stepped up during the pandemic and settled right in.”
Ravally said the program “is to give them their due and honor them for their accomplishments.”
“Each of our honorees made significant contributions to their individual schools, so we’re really excited to highlight some of their accomplishments,” he said.
The Franklin Reporter & Advocate live-streamed the event in two segments. Below is a compilation video comprised of both segments.:
The 2019-2020 honorees were:
| School | Teacher | Ed. Service Professional |
| Franklin High School | Maj. Jacqueline Vazquez (Ret.), JROTC | Heather Danberry, School Counselor |
| FMS @ Hamilton Street | Colleen Begley, Special Ed. Math | Douglas Walton, Paraprofessional |
| FMS @ SGS | Melanie Tolud, Grade 6 Science | Precious Acolatse, School Counselor |
| Claremont Elementary | Leticia Surenko, Special Education | Maureen Zgorzelski, Paraprofessional |
| Conerly Road School | Susan Machover, 1st Grade ICR | Andrea Antonoff, Academic Support |
| Elizabeth Avenue School | Lauren Wojcik, Kindergarten | Donna King, Paraprofessional |
| Franklin Park School | Tracy Molinari, Special Education | Nouha Habeiche, Paraprofessional |
| Hillcrest School | Melanie Nichols, Science Specialist | Mary Melito, Math Coach |
| MacAfee Road School | Nicole Ruggiero, Kindergarten | Charlotte Glassen, Paraprofessional |
| Pine Grove Manor School | Kimberly Buchinski, Pre-K | Irene Fisler, Speech Therapist |
The 2020-2021 honorees were:
| School | Teacher | Ed. Service Professional |
| Franklin High School | Peter DiMarco, ELA 9th-12th | Sheronda Martin, ELA Coach |
| FMS @ Hamilton Street | Danielle Bills, ELA 8th Grade | Rupal Patel, Paraprofessional |
| FMS @ SGS | Jesseca Gonzalez, Special Education | Dr. Rosemary King, ELA Coach |
| Claremont Elementary | Pamela Lack, Special Education | Maribeth Virzi, Nurse |
| Conerly Road School | Joy Kuchinsky, Special Education | None |
| Elizabeth Avenue School | Jessica Horner, LLD Teacher | Judy Lapczynski, Paraprofessional |
| Franklin Park School | Joanna Crespo, 4th Grade | Louise Ahern, Paraprofessional |
| Hillcrest School | Jared Sheffrin, AIS | Denise Solovay, Literacy Coach |
| MacAfee Road School | Kathryn Freeman, 4th Grade | Louise Velez, Paraprofessional |
| Pine Grove Manor School | Cynthia Gaspar, 1st Grade BIL | Janet Timari, Paraprofessional |
Here are some scenes from the day:
