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North Providence honors school business official, students and teachers at May meeting
Summary
The North Providence School Committee recognized Lisa Casinelli as Rhode Island School Business Official of the Year, accepted a $1,000 scholarship from Chartwells for a North Providence High senior, and named Kathleen Cullen the district's 2026 Teacher of the Year.
The Rhode Island Association of School Business Officials’ immediate past president announced that Lisa Casinelli of North Providence Public Schools was named the 2026 Rhode Island School Business Official of the Year.
"On behalf of the Rhode Island Association of School Business Officials, it gives Jane and I great pleasure and honor to formally announce Lisa Casinelli as the 2026 Rhode Island School Business Official of the Year," the association representative said, citing Casinelli’s work securing an 80% reimbursement rate on district building projects and maintaining a positive fund balance.
Casinelli accepted the recognition and thanked district administrators, her family and comptroller Lori. "This was a huge surprise," she said, adding that she values the work of the finance team and the supportive school committee.
Chartwells/Compass Group USA also presented a $1,000 scholarship to a North Providence High School senior in the district’s CTE business pathway. School officials introduced the recipient (identified at the meeting as Millett), noting strong academic performance, honors coursework, varsity athletics and plans to attend Bryant University.
The committee presented a citation to salutatorian Caden Minton Jacobs and acknowledged valedictorian Alicia Zhang, who was unable to attend. Athletic director Mr. Facicelli and school leaders recognized Weston Cooper for selection to the Rhode Island Golden Dozen by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame; Cooper will attend Curry College in the fall.
The meeting also recognized each school's teacher of the year; the district announced Kathleen Cullen, a mathematics teacher at North Providence High School, as the 2026 North Providence Public Schools Teacher of the Year for her data-driven instruction, work with inclusion classes and mentorship of new teachers.
The committee closed the recognitions portion of the meeting and moved on to routine agenda business.
