Brookfield Recognizes Teacher of the Year, Retirees

Brookfield administrators, Board of Education (BOE) and staff gathered on Wednesday at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury to celebrate and honor teachers for their hard work and dedication to their students and the community.

The recognition program, led by Superintendent Tony Bivona, included honoring teachers who had completed 25 years of service to the district, words of gratitude and good wishes to this year's retirees, and recognition of each school's teacher of the year recipient. The reception concluded with the presentation of the district wide Teacher of the Year Award, which was given to Brookfield High School (BHS) Mathematics teacher Andrew Hill.  

Friends and co-workers honored retirees with speeches reviewing career accomplishments, sharing stories and wishing them all the best in their future endeavors. Retirees were given a gift from the district and received a standing ovation from the audience. Teachers and staff members who will retire at the end of this school year are: Anne Marie St. Pierre (CES, Grade One),  Sharon Santi (CES, Librarian), Jeff Foster (WMS, Grade Eight), Jackie Ormiston (BHS, Math), Flo Fiandra (BHS, Office Staff) and Richard Hunyadi (BHS, Applied Education).

The following teachers were recognized for 25 Years of Service to the Brookfield School District:  Joan Oppenheimer (CES, Kindergarten), Anne Marie St. Pierre (CES, Grade One), Toni Sullivan (CES, Kindergarten ), Nancy Hayes (CES, Kindergarten), Anna Bonapace (HHES, Grade Two), Linda Higgins (WMS), Deidre Macho (WMS ), James Pomponio (WMS, Grade Seven) and Christine Mattei (BHS, World Language).

Teacher of the Year finalist awards are given annually to one teacher from each school who consistently displays an outstanding commitment to their students, co-workers and the community. A district winner is then chosen as Teacher of the Year from the four finalists.

The three other finalists for this year are: Megan Tembeck (CES, Grade One), Barry Huber  (HHES Grade Four) and Alison FitzPatrick (WMS, Guidance Counselor).