The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The best of Franklin Township educators were honored June 6 at the annual Educators of the Year breakfast, held at The Imperia on Easton Avenue.
Honored were teachers of the year and educational professionals of the year from each of the district’s 10 schools.
The program was brought into the district nine years ago by schools Superintendent John Ravally, continuing a practice from his former school district in Ocean County.
“Every year, toward the end of the year, we pick our educational support person of the year and our teacher of the year, bring them all together with a guest, and just celebrate their achievements over the year,” he said. “I think it’s really important to highlight some of the work that our teachers have put in over the school year.”
“Hopefully other folks will emulate their work and it just keeps building and building,” Ravally said.
Ravally said the event has been adopted by Somerset County, but Franklin continues to have its own celebration as well.
“We thought it’s so important, why not continue what we’re doing,” he said. “So, we now have two breakfasts.”
Reaction over the years has been positive, Ravally said.
“Our staff loves it, our administrators love the opportunity to talk about our educators, I think our Board loves it because they don’t get a chance to get in our schools as much as I know they would like because they meet in the evening and they do their day jobs during the day, so this is an opportunity for them to connect our teachers and our educational support people as well,” he said.
Speaking to the audience of educators and their guests, Ravally said, “They have set a standard of excellence that inspires us all. We are incredibly fortunate to have these professionals as part of our team.”
“They continually and consistently demonstrate a collaborative spirit that enhances our educational community and embodies the Warrior Way,” he said.
Board of Education president Ardaman Singh congratulated the honorees and thanked them “for your hard work and dedication on behalf of our students and their families.”
“As a parent of two children who have grown up in our school district, I have seen first-hand the effects of superior teaching and learning for our students,” she said. “As a past PTO volunteer, I have watched the extra efforts our teachers and professionals make every day. And as a Board member, I have had the opportunity to further support our educators. In all of these roles, I have been proud to be part of this district and what it represents.”
“They are well-respected by their peers, and represent true Warrior dedication,” she said.
Wendy Riga, who along with Nick DiMeglio, is the co-president of the Franklin Township PTO Council, told the educators that, “All you need is a good teacher who helps you grow and believes in you. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to our kids.”
Those honored were:
Franklin High School
Ted Jones, Teacher
David Goldstein, Educational Services Professional
Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street
Mildred Arrieta, Teacher
Melissa Langan, Educational Service Professional
Franklin Middle School – Sampson G Smith
Cherilyn Strand, Teacher
Sijata Gandhi, Educational Service Professional
Claremont Elementary School
Ebony Blisseyy, Teacher
Elizabeth Reichbart, Educational Service Professional
Conerly Road School
Stephen Bennett, Teacher
Linda Perry, Educational Service Professional
Elizabeth Avenue School
Christa McLaughlin, Teacher
Saiju (Sage) Patel, Educational Service Professional
Franklin Park School
Jacqueline Pilgrim, Teacher
Terri Hrapsky, Educational Service Professional
Hillcrest School
Patti Bernstein, Teacher
Lisa Capelli, Educational Service Professional
MacAfee Road School
Dayna O’Connor, Teacher
Debra Abramo, Educational Service Professional
Pine Grove Manor School
Kristin Calhoun, Teacher
Ted Samaras, Educational Service Professional
Here are some scenes from the day:
