Honoring the Hearts and Souls of Southington Schools (Video)

Dedication, commitment and hard work are crucial in helping provide a strong learning environment for today’s children and for 13 local school employees and volunteers, their efforts over the past

The , in partnership with the school district administrative team, took a moment to recognize the volunteers and school staff members who have gone above and beyond to help Southington youth Thursday evening during the Fourth Annual “Profiles in Professionalism” celebration at .

Board Chairman Brian Goralski said he is impressed by the level of professionalism in Southington schools and said the 2012 honorees are the perfect example of why Southington has been able to achieve success and improve every year over the past decade.

“You set the example for all of us for what makes the schools great, what makes the community great and what work ethic is all about.”

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For a few of the honorees, including David Germano, it was a bittersweet moment as the honor comes at the end of their career. Germano will retire in June after serving 38 years with the Southington school district.

Germano, who started his career in 1974 as an Industrial Arts teacher, said he was caught by surprise by the award and felt it could have been given to dozens of other teachers or administrators throughout the district.

“I don’t see myself as more deserving than anyone else,” Germano said. “This is a great community, a great family and we give back because we want to give back.

School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. said the best part of the annual program is that the winners are selected through a nomination process involving their peers. He said the process helps provide more value to the award.

The following Southington school staff members and volunteers were honored Thursday evening:

• Jennifer Ackerman, parent-volunteer at /
• Wally Bailey, volunteer at /
• Nancy Chiero, Special Education Teacher at
• Lesley DeAngelo, Language Arts Secretary
• David Germano, Assistant Principal at
• Jean Griglun, Registered Nurse at
• Richard Hills, Paraprofessional at
• Moira Myers, Special Education Teacher at
• Christopher Palmieri, Assistant Principal at
• Brian Palmieri, Assistant Head Custodian at
• Nathan “Bo” Perry, Custodian at
• Donna Rossignol, Paraprofessional at
• Lori-Jo Saucier, Software Support Specialist

Share your favorite stories of this year’s honorees and what makes them special in our comments section below – or just congratulate them for their latest honor.

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