Parent asks Bristol Warren school committee to create volunteer award in memory of Patricia Martins Hawkins

During public comment at the Sept. 15 Bristol Warren Regional School Committee meeting, a parent identified as Miss Sheridan asked the committee to create a district award honoring an outstanding volunteer in memory of Patricia Martins Hawkins, a longtime Gutierrez School parent volunteer.

"I am here this evening to humbly request that the Bristol Warren Regional School District create an award that recognizes and honors an outstanding volunteer in our schools that have been named in memory of Patricia," Sheridan said. She asked that a member of Hawkins’ family be invited to serve on a steering committee to develop criteria and select recipients, and offered to volunteer to help establish the award.

Sheridan described Hawkins’ extensive volunteer work at Gutierrez — chairing holiday and spring events, supporting performing-arts productions and serving as co-treasurer for parent organizations — and said Hawkins had "a heart that was pure" and "cared deeply for the safety and well-being of each child who was blessed to have been in her care." Sheridan said Hawkins told her she wanted to "give all that she could until she couldn't." Sheridan said she would send a copy of her remarks to the committee.

Why this matters: The request asks the district to create a standing recognition tied to volunteer contributions and to involve Hawkins’ family in establishing award criteria. The request will require committee or administration follow-up to create a formal procedure, determine funding or plaque policy, and set selection criteria.

No formal action was taken during the meeting; Sheridan’s request was recorded during the public-comment portion and will require staff or a subcommittee to bring a formal proposal back to the committee for consideration and any necessary approvals.