Hillside 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 from the Hillside Intermediate School Teacher of the Year, Carmelina Geiger, and the Educational Services Professional of the Year, Kinjal Barad.

 

Carmelina Geiger

Hillside Intermediate School
Grade 5 Math, Social Studies & Science Teacher

 With great respect and appreciation, Hillside Intermediate School recognizes Carmelina Geiger as our teacher of the year.  Mrs. Geiger has been working at Hillside School for the past 21 years, currently in her 22nd year in 5th grade. Mrs. Geiger uses her special education background to help all of her learners get the support they require.  She has not only shown a dedication to her students, but also to the school itself through committee positions she has held and the department work she has completed.

Mrs. Geiger has been an integral part of her 5th grade team, organizing extra activities for students, spearheading field trips, creating innovative lessons with differentiation, and coordinating with colleagues for team and grade-level initiatives.  She can often be found researching extra science activities for her students, planning with the science coordinator for the grade level, and sharing ideas in department meetings.  She shows her dedication to her students through the constant differentiation within her classes, the open lines of communication with students and families, and her far-reaching support for her most struggling students as well as those needing enrichment.

Mrs. Geiger is a pillar of the Hillside Community.  She often has students reach out to her years later expressing the impact she had on them, many of whom have become teachers themselves due to her inspiration and dedication to them as her students. As a true testament to Mrs. Geiger’s character as a teacher, one student said, “She’s so kind and she makes everything fun! Even when we get in trouble, she doesn’t yell at us, she gives us warnings. In science, instead of reading straight from the book, she had us act it out. She lets us do experiments that other classes don’t do. She is such a great teacher!”

In Carmelina’s words, “I love teaching because every day is different. I love that I can make a difference in my students' lives by inspiring, supporting and mentoring. My first priority is always doing what's best for my students.  I strive to build relationships with them so they feel comfortable coming to me with not only academic needs but also their social emotional needs. I want my students to look forward to coming to school and enjoy learning.” 

We are so lucky to have Mrs. Geiger at Hillside School!

 

Kinjal Barad

Hillside Intermediate School
Instructional Assistant

 Kinjal Barad has worked at Hillside Intermediate School since 2020, most recently in the pull-out resource setting.  She is a shared Instructional Assistant between two students and is fully committed to their success.  She keeps extensive records and has worked after-hours to create data recording sheets, graphs, and extensive notes on students.  Every day, she helps her students achieve success in the classroom.

Mrs. Barad is always positive, always has her students’ best interests at hand, and is a collaborative team member.  In a short period of time, Mrs. Barad has made a huge impact on the students she works with. As a true testament to her character as a teaching assistant, Mrs. Barad’s students shared that they think of her like a friend. One student said: “I can talk to her about anything. She’s firm but very kind to us. She is constantly helping, and I know deep down she’s trying to help us to be kind. She believes in us and helps us know we can do anything.”

In Kinjal’s words, “When I first started my position as a teaching assistant, it dawned on me that I really wasn’t trained to be one. Quickly, I understood that each classroom required different types of assistant support, but the one common denominator is that it is pertinent for a TA to work off the energy of not just the students, but the teacher that runs the classroom.  It is very much of an anticipatory position and to do the job well, a TA must be able to read the nuances of the student as well as the teacher.  I have been ridiculously lucky at Hillside to work with some strong teachers that communicate their expectations so a seamless and even synergistic support is given to the students.  I positively enjoy what I do and am appreciative to be recognized. Thank you.”

Mrs. Barad is a most worthy recipient of the Educational Services Professional Award.

 

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