Milltown Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional are honored at ceremony

A celebration of the commitments and dedication of staff members in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District was presented on Tuesday, May 4.

The Somerville Elks Lodge served as the venue for the school district’s annual—and highly acclaimed—Staff Recognition Reception.

The event was held to honor the 2023-2024 Bridgewater-Raritan Teacher of the Year and the Educational Services Professionals for all 11 schools in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District.

A total of 22 staff members–two from each school–were honored before an estimated crowd of 175, which included administrators, board of education members, staff, teachers, and families of the honorees.

The reception was sponsored by the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association (BREA), while the ceremony was coordinated by the energetic and valuable Suzanne Klos, the Executive Secretary to the Superintendent.

She was assisted in preparing for this elite ceremony by Terry Brown and Kaitlyn McGhee, who are Administrative Assistants in the Office of the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.

Laura Kress, the BREA President, opened the ceremony with her remarks that cited the faithfulness and devotion that are exhibited by the 22 honorees as well as the entire school district.

Superintendent Bob Beers followed Ms. Kress and touched on how “Bridgewater-Raritan is unique in that we are able to hold an event such as this.”

He applauded the honorees and the school district for “a high level of commitment to excel’ and described the teaching profession as a calling rather than a job.

Each school principal was given the opportunity to speak and introduce their two distinguished staff members–Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year.

Each honoree received a commemorative gift that was handed out by the Board of Education Vice President, Jennifer Loughran, and a Board of Education member, Stacey Friedlander.

Here is a summary of each Milltown honoree presented by Principal Tim Lembo.

Bryan Smith
Milltown Primary School
Physical Education Teacher

Mr. Bryan Smith has been teaching physical education in the Bridgewater-Raritan
Regional School District for 20 years. He spent his first 17 years as the district’s
Adaptive Physical Education Teacher, servicing our entire school district. For the last
three years, Mr. Smith has been teaching health and physical education at Milltown
Primary School.
Bryan has injected humor, dedication, and creativity to everything we do throughout our
Special Area Department. He works directly with Mrs. Shannon Chartowich and the
Whole School Character Education Team to develop school events, and immediately
support other team members who may be coordinating other events.
Bryan states “I have truly loved teaching in BR for 20 years. The last three years at
Milltown have been an incredible experience. Having traveled as an adapted PE teacher
for 17 years, I now have a place I can call home. My colleagues have welcomed me with
open arms from day one, and have embraced my silly, energetic personality. It is truly
a great group to work with every day. Seeing the smiles on our students' faces, and the
excitement they bring to the gym makes each day better than the last. My passion for
teaching is matched and supported by my colleagues and students. I can honestly say I
have never had a bad day teaching at Milltown.”

Superhero is defined as a fictional character with superhuman powers. Mr. Smith is
Milltown’s real-life Superhero!!!!!!

Stephanie Campisi
Milltown Primary School
School Counselor

Mrs. Stephanie Campisi has been with the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District
for eight years, spending her entire tenure as the School Counselor for Milltown Primary
School. Mrs. Campisi is the leader of Milltown’s Whole School Character Education
Team and through this work she cares for the wellness of everyone.
Stephanie has always demonstrated a sense of calm and “presence” when supporting
our children and faculty. Most impressively is her level-headed approach to all
situations. She maintains a focus on the needs of the children while also maintaining
expectations for how they care for each other. This balance is especially effective in
moments of crisis, when Milltown is experiencing our most challenging moments her
bright light leads the way.
Stephanie states, “I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to build a comprehensive
character education program alongside a team of colleagues to benefit the students,
staff, and families of Milltown School. I am honored to receive this distinction and feel
immense gratitude towards my colleagues for recognizing me in this role.”

Mrs. Campisi is the heartbeat of our school. Through her leadership her goodness has
spread through every hallway and classroom - she sets our tone, and she leads with heart.
Our children, faculty, and school community are “better” from her expertise and
affection.

Listed below are the 22 staff members who were honored.

Teacher of the Year Award - 2023-2024

Alexandra Pelligrino, Adamsville, Special Education Teacher
Susan Winters, Bradley Gardens, Grade 2 Teacher
Kimberly Kaminsky, Crim, Special Education Teacher
Paige Hering-Boehme, Hamilton, Grade 1 Teacher
Angela Randazzo, John F. Kennedy, Grade 3 Teacher
Bryan Smith, Milltown, Physical Education Teacher
Megan Rutkowski, Van Holten, Grade 1 Teacher
Jaclynn Hurley, Eisenhower, Grade 5 Teacher
Taryn Prince, Hillside, Grade 6 Special Education Teacher
Ashlen Udell, Middle School, Teacher of Music
Hsiao-yu Lin (Sherry) Griggs, High School, Teacher of Music

Educational Services Professional Award - 2023-2024

Deborah Calabrese, Adamsville, Speech Language Specialist
Puja Arora, Bradley Gardens, School Counselor
Monica Hammond, Crim, Elementary Teaching Specialist
Kathleen Hughes, Hamilton, School Nurse
Holly Gibson, John F. Kennedy, Intervention Specialist
Stephanie Campisi, Milltown, School Counselor
Sarojini Panwar, Van Holten, Instructional Assistant
Tara Rutkowski, Eisenhower, Instructional Assistant
Maria Giardella, Hillside, Learning Disabilities Teaching Consultant
Rosalia Finazzo, Middle School, Instructional Assistant
Lauren Amisial, High School, Student Assistance Counselor

Linked below is the program that features the background of each of the 22 honorees.

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