Middle School Teacher and Educational Services Professional honored

The pride of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District was honored at the Staff Recognition Reception on Tuesday, May 2.

The highly popular ceremony, which drew over 150 administrators, board of education members, staff and teachers as well as families from the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, was held at the Somerville Elks Lodge.

The event was held to honor the 2022-2023 Governor’s Teachers of the Year and the Governor’s Educational Services Professionals for all 11 schools in the school district.

A total of 22 staffers—two from each school–were honored for their achievements and passion as members of the school district.

The ceremony was funded by the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association (BREA) and was held for the first time at the Elks Lodge after the previous ceremonies were performed at Bridgewater-Raritan High School cafeteria.

Superintendent Bob Beers opened the festivities with his usual upbeat remarks.

“It is our great pleasure to honor the dedication to your craft that you do every day,” Superintendent Beers announced. “Thank you for the dedication and impact that you have on our children.”

He continued.

“Teaching is a lifestyle and you do need the support of your family. We thank your families for that support.”

Laura Kress, the President of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association, followed Superintendent Beers to greet the award winners and the audience.

“This ceremony is our (BREA) most pleasurable event,” Ms. Kress revealed. “Thank you to Suzanne (Klos) for putting this on.”

Ms. Klos’ title is Executive Secretary to the Superintendent but she is arguably one of the school district’s most valuable staff members.

She coordinated the ceremony and the new venue for the 2023 reception was well received by all.

Ms. Kress, a Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School Teacher, praised her peers.

“I look at our primary school teachers and what a miracle that they do to teach our kids to read. It is amazing and we teach more than the curriculum. We teach how to forgive and how to have compassion. Life’s lessons help us all grow,” she explained. “We learn from our students and you all play a key role.”

Ms. Kress added:

“You all are the best of the best.”

Each of the 11 school principals introduced their Teacher of the Year and their Educational Services Professionals of the Year.

Members of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District Board of Education assisted with the presentation of gifts to the recipients.

 Principal Matt Lembo of the Milltown Primary School could not attend the affair but he was substituted at the podium by Dr. Dan Fonder, the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, who introduced the two recipients from that school.

Here are the profiles of the two Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School award winners, Teacher of the Year, Sarah Martin, and Educational Services Professional of the Year, Kelley Beahan.

 

Sarah Martin

Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School
Grade 8 English/Language Arts Teacher

 Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School is proud to recognize Dr. Sarah Martin as our 2023 Educator of the Year.  Dr. Martin has been an English Language Arts teacher at BRMS for fourteen years. During this time, she has proven herself to be an invaluable asset to her students. Dr. Martin continually strives to meet students where they are so she can help them improve and grow as learners. She is interested in their growth as readers, writers, and human beings.

Dr. Martin is a child-centered advocate. She continually looks for different ways to teach a skill, finds texts that represent diversity, and incorporates social emotional learning into her lessons. She is mindful of the learning environment she tries to create for her students. It starts from the minute a person walks in the room and is greeted with the phrase “extend grace.” Dr. Martin is determined that her students will have a positive experience in school.

Dr. Martin has also taken a lead outside of the classroom serving on the building ScIP committee as well as leading numerous professional development opportunities. Dr. Martin created a professional learning community for ELA teachers that supported the implementation of the independent reading initiative. This has assisted her colleagues and has enhanced the learning experience for students throughout the school.  

Sarah states, “I believe deeply in the potential of all of our students and I am grateful for the opportunity to help students find their voice and grow their passions. Exposing students to diverse literature and providing a safe and welcoming environment in which to explore ideas is my priority each day. Through these experiences, I hope students find literature that both reflects their own lived experiences and provides windows into the experiences of others. By viewing literature through these lenses, we can support tolerance, build understanding, grow respect and celebrate diversity.”    

 

Kelley Beahan

Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School
Learning Disabilities Teaching Consultant

 Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School is proud to recognize Kelley Beahan as the Educational Services Professional Award recipient. Kelley has been an integral part of the BRMS community for the last twelve years.   Kelley is a dedicated educator that demonstrates leadership qualities and has the respect of students, administrators, parents, and colleagues. She is an advocate for her students and she works hard to establish positive relationships with them. They always know that Kelley is there for them to support their academic and social emotional needs. She has high expectations for them and works on helping them develop their resiliency skills. She fosters a growth mindset in her students, encouraging them to be the best versions of themselves. Kelley uses her extensive knowledge of special education instruction, having previously taught in an out-of-district school for students with significant academic and behavioral disabilities, to be a source of information and support to her colleagues. She is a resource for all members of the staff to consult on meeting the needs of struggling learners. 

Kelley epitomizes what it means to be a professional.  She has a winning combination of experience and intuition that works well for the students who are lucky enough to have her as their case manager.

Kelley states, “Working with middle school students is very rewarding but can also be challenging. They are just starting to know who they are as learners and as individuals so helping guide them during this time in their lives will hopefully prepare them for their high school years and beyond. I am honored to receive this recognition but I know that I could not be successful without the team of TA's, special educators, general education teachers, secretaries, nurses, intervention specialists, related service providers, school counselors, other child study team members, and administrators who support me every day. It takes a village.”

 

Here are the 22 award winners who were honored at the Staff Recognition Reception on May 2.

 

GOVERNOR’S EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR 2022-2023

ADAMSVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Meghan De La Rosa, English as a Second Language

 

BRADLEY GARDENS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Kathryn Kaye, Special Education Teacher

 

CRIM PRIMARY SCHOOL

Abigail Goldstein, Grade 2 Teacher

 

HAMILTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Tammy Miller, Grade 4 Teacher

 

JOHN F. KENNEDY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Robert Cirino, Health and Physical Education Teacher

 

MILLTOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Danielle Caulfied, Grade 1 Teacher

 VAN HOLTEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Matthew Swinsburg, Grade 3 Teacher

 

EISENHOWER INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Deborah Ronning, Grade 5 Teacher

 

HILLSIDE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Carmelina Geiger, Grade 5 Teacher

 

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Sarah Martin, English/Language Arts Teacher

 

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN HIGH SCHOOL

James Olivola, Teacher of Mathematics

 

GOVERNOR’S EDUCATIONAL SERVICES PROFESSIONAL AWARD FOR 2022-2023

ADAMSVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Maryellen Filep, Learning Disabilities Teaching Consultant

 

BRADLEY GARDENS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Katherine Rayburn, Media Specialist

 

CRIM PRIMARY SCHOOL

Gretchen English, School Nurse

 

HAMILTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Sharon Fargo, Speech Language Specialist

 

JOHN F. KENNEDY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Linda O’Brien, Intervention Specialist

 

MILLTOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Theresa Torraca-Sheats, Instructional Specialist

 

VAN HOLTEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Shawn Danus, Intervention Specialist

 

EISENHOWER INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Alice Piscadlo, School Counselor

 

HILLSIDE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Kinjal Barad, Instructional Assistant

 

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Kelley Beahan, Learning Disabilities Teaching Consultant

 

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN HIGH SCHOOL

Erin Lowman, School Psychologist

The link below contains profiles on all 22 recipients.

2022-2023 Staff Recognition Award Booklet