Hamilton 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 schoo.

Here are the profiles of the Hamilton Primary School Teacher of the Year, Tammy Miller, and the Educational Services Professional of the Year, Sharon Fargo.

Tammy Miller

Hamilton Primary School
Grade 4 Teacher

 Hamilton Primary School is proud to recognize our colleague Tammy Miller as Teacher of the Year. In her 17th year as a teacher in Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, Tammy is known to all at Hamilton School as a committed, creative, and friendly 4th grade teacher, who is highly dedicated to her students, their families, and her colleagues. 

Tammy embodies the skills and characteristics of an exemplary educator. She consistently shares her innovative ideas with her colleagues and acts as an informal mentor to many. Tammy also has a unique talent for questioning students in a manner that challenges them to dig deeper and problem solve independently. Adored by her students, Tammy is unfailingly empathetic, compassionate, and insightful. She is also well-organized and makes learning highly engaging for her students. Beyond the classroom, Tammy is an active volunteer in our school and in the local community, serving on various committees and frequently participating in PTO-sponsored events. Above all, Tammy exemplifies kindness, dedication, and patience every day.

Tammy states, “From an early age, I knew I wanted to work with children, I just didn't know in what capacity. It wasn't until I started substituting that I knew my passion was teaching at the younger level.  Born and raised in Bridgewater, I had no doubt that I wanted to start my teaching journey in this community.  I am proud to say that 18 years later, I have cultivated my career at Hamilton School and now have the opportunity to raise my children in the Bridgewater-Raritan School District and the BR community. Teaching is by no means a glamorous job, and it certainly isn't an easy one; however, there is no greater reward than making a positive difference in so many young lives. Like many teachers, each year my students become my family.  I refer to them as my kids, and together, we build a classroom of love, positivity, and respect.  When I leave each day, regardless of it being a challenging day or a great day, I am confident in the impact I'm making in the lives of my students. Every day I am blessed to work with such wonderful people, both my students and my colleagues. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. I am honored to be recognized as Teacher of the Year for Hamilton School and am thankful for this distinguished recognition.”

Sharon Fargo

Hamilton Primary School
Speech Language Specialist

Hamilton Primary School is proud to recognize our colleague Sharon Fargo as our Educational Services Professional of the Year. Sharon is currently in her 16th year in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District and her 24th year as a Speech and Language Specialist.

Throughout her time in the District, Sharon has consistently demonstrated her commitment to her students and their families in her specialty, speech pathology. Sharon is an integral member of our school’s staff, whether as a member of our IEP and MTSS teams or as a highly-respected source of wisdom and good judgment within Hamilton. Sharon is always approachable when colleagues call upon her for her expertise. By virtue of her expert knowledge of language development and acquisition, Sharon provides an invaluable perspective on how best to support our students’ learning needs. Sharon also makes special connections with her students thanks to her compassion and her sensitivity to their needs. She is adaptable and resourceful, providing each student with individualized instruction that enables them to take great pride in their accomplishments.

Sharon states, “I am grateful to be the Speech Language Pathologist at Hamilton for the past 16 years, and I’m fortunate that my career path has led me here. The most rewarding parts of my job are teaching students to communicate more effectively and watching them grow and mature from Kindergarten through 4th grade. I also love being able to share my knowledge of speech and language development with my colleagues and work collaboratively with them in order to help the Hamilton students and families.”

Here are our award winners from each of the 11 schools in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Their teaching/staff position is listed after their name.

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

Below is a link that contains the Staff Recognition Reception program, which includes the bios on all 22 award winners, 

2022-2023 Staff Recognition Award Booklet