Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recognitions Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teacher of the Year recognized; STEAM Night, winter sports and personnel changes highlighted
Summary
The committee honored the district teacher of the year and a visiting Rhode Island Teacher of the Year for a STEAM Night at Garvin Memorial, recognized winter athletic and unified-team achievements, and recorded personnel announcements including a retirement and resignations.
Superintendent Dr. Philip Thornton opened the meeting by recognizing the district teacher of the year from Garvin Memorial Elementary School and introducing Melissa O'Neil, 2025 Rhode Island State Teacher of the Year, who helped co‑facilitate a recent STEAM Night at Garvin.
The Garvin teacher described four STEAM stations — Ozobots coding, squishy circuits using conductive Play-Doh, make-and-take Critter Bots and ArtBots using electronic toothbrushes and pool noodles — and said families responded with “email after email and pictures” praising the event. Melissa O'Neil thanked Garvin staff and families for hosting and said she looked forward to further collaboration.
Athletics and extracurricular honors included recognition of wrestlers Benjamin Badney and Sam O’Connell for all-state honors, Aubrey Hastings for winning a state title by pin in 65 seconds and then earning all-New England honors, and swimmer Jared Zito for state-record times and considerations for All-American recognition. The district also honored its Unified Swim Program team for a title-winning relay at Brown University.
Personnel announcements were made by the HR manager. The committee recorded a retirement effective June 30, 2025: Brenda Bush, Grade 2 teacher at Garvin Memorial, after 30 years of service. Two resignations were noted for teachers currently on leave: Melinda Spates, science teacher at the high school, and Jennifer Goodwin, former special education coordinator. The committee also received a one-year unpaid leave request for the 2025–26 school year from Kimberly Baldwin, special educator at Cumberland Hill.
Ending
The committee did not take separate personnel votes during the meeting beyond recording the announcements. The recognition items were delivered during the superintendent's report; athletic recognitions were presented by the athletic director.
