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The Successories program winners for the first quarter of 2015-16 are, from left, Cara Dopp, Caetlin Ebersole, Candy Hunter and Tom Kowalski.
The four winners in the “Successories” program for first quarter of the 2015-16 school year demonstrate how all aspects of faculty and staff are important to the success of our school community.
A $25 restaurant gift certificate winner from each school was randomly drawn from among the completed “Successories” forms that recognize faculty and staff members for helping others become a success. Sixth-grade teacher Caetlin Ebersole, high school special education teaching assistant Candy Hunter, bus driver Tom Kowalski and night custodian at the Intermediate School Cara Dopp were drawn as the winners.
Carbon-copy forms and collection boxes to recognize district “Successories” — a combination of the words “success” and “accessories” — are in each of the main offices of Broadalbin-Perth’s four schools. Students, parents, community members and other faculty and staff are invited to fill out the forms.
Kowalski was presented with a Successory by the parents of a blind kindergarten student he picks up every day. “Thank you for being patient and attentive … and greeting her every day with a smile. We feel safe knowing that Tom is driving our daughter to school,” the Successory reads.
Kowalski has been a bus driver in the Broadalbin-Perth school district for 23 years, in what is actually his retirement job. “She is very nice on the bus,” he said of the student. “It takes a little time to get her on and seated, but I’m in no hurry.” As for his attentiveness and kindness, Kowalski says, “As a school bus driver, that’s what you are supposed to be doing. I just think it’s part of my job.”
Hunter’s Successory came from a teacher in the Life Skills class, where she helps out whenever it’s needed. “Thank you for always being willing to go above and beyond for all of our students. You care so much and are very helpful. I don’t know what we would do without you,” the note reads.
Hunter, who has worked in the school for four years, said she was flattered by the recognition. “It’s nice to know I’m doing OK, but it’s nothing I wouldn’t already be doing,” she said, adding that she genuinely wants the students in the Life Skills class to be successful. “Helping to make a difference means a lot to me.”
Dopp just joined the B–P team as a sub in a night custodian position in September. She was recognized with a Successory for “finding and returning an expensive engagement ring to its owner.”
Dopp said when she discovered the ring on the floor of a classroom, she immediately secured it to be returned to its owner. “I couldn’t imagine what she was going through,” she said of the ring’s owner. “I didn’t sleep that night; I was nervous about making sure the ring got back in the right hands.”
Ebersole is not new to the district — this is her eighth year at B-P — but this is her first year as a sixth-grade teacher. Prior to this, she served as a special education teacher. The Successory she received honored her for spending extra time with students. “You are such a great addition to the sixth-grade team,” the note reads.
Ebersole said she feels spending time with students after school can be necessary to their success, adding that students usually are receptive to extra help because they want to do well. Though she feels her actions are simply part of her job, she was happy to receive the Successory. “I felt so good when I got that,” she said. “The piece of paper is actually more important than the prize. It makes you want to continue to work as hard as you do.”
Ebersole added that she doesn’t always think to do something like fill out a Successory for someone else, but receiving them “makes us think about each other.”
All members of the B-P community are encouraged to take the time to recognize the good work of others by participating in the Successories program. The quarterly drawings will continue through the end of the school year, when the grand prize winner of a $100 gift certificate will be chosen.