Bristol honors paraeducator and teacher of the year; 102 students qualify for Seal of Biliteracy

The Bristol School District Board of Education on June 4 recognized Daniel Costa as the district's 2026 paraeducator of the year and named Sarah Lindstrom Bristol Public Schools' 2026 teacher of the year, and staff reported that 102 students qualified this spring for the district's Seal of Biliteracy.

The recognitions were presented during the start of the board's meeting. Superintendent Iris White introduced the paraeducator award, noting it honors the late Anne Marie Murphy and the ‘‘compassion, bravery, and unwavering support paraeducators bring to their roles every day.’’ Paraeducator Daniel Costa accepted the honor and spoke briefly about his work with students in Bristol's community vocational program.

Teacher Sarah Lindstrom, a Bristol Eastern graduate who teaches world language and serves as department chair at Bristol Central High School, received the teacher of the year award after the district said it had received 110 nominations for this year’s honor. In her remarks, Lindstrom described program changes she helped lead, including launching heritage Spanish courses and expanding higher-level Spanish offerings that she said have helped students earn college credit and the Seal of Biliteracy.

Deputy and curriculum staff later told the board that 102 students qualified this spring for the Seal of Biliteracy in languages that included Spanish, Latin, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Haitian Creole and Arabic; eight students qualified in more than one language, the report said. Officials noted some students will be awarded the seal at graduation even if they qualified earlier in the year.

The recognitions and biliteracy update were followed by a round of applause from board members and school staff.

The board moved on to business after the recognitions; no formal board action was required for the awards or the Seal of Biliteracy report.