Herald Schools

Top students, athletes and retirees honored by East Rockaway Board of Education

Posted

It was an evening full of honors and reflection at the East Rockaway Board of Education meeting on June 11, where the district’s retirees were recognized along with the Class of 2017 valedictorian, salutatorian and the district’s scholar student athletes.

Retiring teachers Anne Smyth (46 years in the district), Randi Kilcommons (36), Mary McCloud (36), Marie Lyons (29) and Gloria Spratt (22) were honored along with Athletic Director Dom Vulpis (22); teacher’s aides Eileen Rogers (35) and Jesse Gilberti (17); guidance secretary Paula DiPietro (20); and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology John Piccarella (10). Each retiree was handed a plaque and had a colleague speak on their behalf.

One of the highlights of the evening saw Rhame Avenue School Principal Erik Walter discuss his experiences with McCloud — who he said was as good of a prankster as she was an educator.

“I found that out very quickly my first year — that she has a love for pranks, for jokes, for Halloween and for April Fools’ Day,” Walter said. He shared a story about a time when he went to put his lunch in the fridge and “freaked out” when he saw a gigantic rubber beetle. When he tried to pull his desk chair out, Walter recalled, it was tied together with rubber fishing lines. “’April Fools!’ I hear from my doorway,” Walter recounted, “as I turn around to see Mary with a crew behind her and a big smile on her face coming toward me to give me a hug.”

The board also recognized East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School’s Class of 2017 valedictorian Natalia Cuttitta and salutatorian Katharine Calabrese. Students on the girls lacrosse and badminton teams and the boys and girls track team were also celebrated for being scholar athletes, which means their grade point average was above a 90.

Board of Education President Patricia Nicoletti was recognized for receiving the New York State School Board Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and Superintendent Lisa Ruiz was acknowledged for receiving the Stony Brook University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International’s “Friends of Education” award. To close out the honors, Ruiz led an installation of he new Parent Teacher Association officers.