BARNEGAT, NJ – Barnegat school leaders announced the retirement of two Russell O. Brackman Middle School teachers at last week’s Board of Education meeting.
The retirements of Bonnie LoPiccolo and Marie Kozlowski were approved by the Board and become effective as of January 1, 2021. LoPiccolo is a seventh grade Social Studies teacher; Kozlowski, an eighth grade English, Language Arts (ELA) instructor.
LoPiccolo devoted her entire thirty-year teaching career to the students at Brackman. Kozlowski, who became a teacher 44 years ago, has been a middle school team member for the last twenty.
“We will spend some time at a future meeting honoring both of these individuals,” shared Barnegat Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Latwis. “I want to thank them both for the years of service, as they really are staples of the Brackman community.”
Members of the Barnegat school community appeared hesitant to wait for a special presentation dedicated to LoPiccolo and Kozlowski. They used the public comments session of the October meeting to share accolades.
Brackman Middle School Principal Sharon Smith was the first to express the tremendous loss the retirement of both individuals meant to the district.
“Bonnie and Marie are two of the best educators to come through the halls of Brackman,” Smith said. ‘…Our ELA and Social Studies will go on, but it’s never about the programs.”
“It’s always about the people,” continued Smith. “The people are what make the place so special- and Marie and Bonnie are what make Brackman special.”
Smith described both retiring educators as the heart of the school and the glue that hold the middle school together. She said that both Marie and Bonnie were an inspiration to not only the students but other members of the teaching team. They made a positive impact on student’s lives.
Patrick Booth, a Barnegat parent, added some commentary regarding his recollections of Kozlowski when she was his teacher in the Pinelands Regional School District.
“Because of her, I still take notes the same way I did in the seventh grade,” Booth shared.
Before the closing of Barnegat Schools last year, BEA representative William “Chip” Junker solicited applications for the Barnegat School District Hall of Fame. It was described as a means of publicly honoring outstanding and memorable staff that significantly impacted students and the district.
“These are two individuals the Hall of Fame was built for,” said Junker. “Everything they’ve done has been amazing for the students, staff and school district. I sit on the committee for the Hall of Fame and would easily vote for both.”
It is not known if either retirement is related to changes related to the pandemic. Junker expressed his opinion that the resulting environment has forced a lot of teachers out.
Sign up for TAPinto E-News alerts to be the first to read about all things local.
Download the FREE TAPinto App! Click here for Android - Click here for iOS for breaking news, traffic/weather alerts and special offers.
Please send all story leads or Letters to the Editor to sfaughnan@tapinto.net.
"middle" - Google News
October 25, 2020 at 09:37PM
https://ift.tt/2FY3YZ7
Accolades Begin for Two Retiring Barnegat Middle School Teachers - TAPinto.net
"middle" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MY042F
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment