EAST BRUNSWICK — After many years of service to the East Brunswick School District, four retired employees received the district’s highest honor: induction onto the Wall of Honor.
“By honoring these individuals, we continue a tradition of celebrating the excellence of our public schools,” East Brunswick Education Association President Ruth Davitt said. “By expressing admiration and demonstrating our gratitude for the dedicated services they provide, we hope in some small way to be able to repay them and their families for their many years of sacrifice on behalf of the district.”
Superintendent of Schools Jo Ann Magistro inducted an instructional assistant, two teachers and a school nurse/health educator onto the Wall of Honor in front of several dozen onlookers during the April 25 Board of Education (BOE) meeting.
Brenda Hagen had an extraordinary career that spanned 17 years and six East Brunswick schools, Magistro said.
“When the district hired Brenda in 1994, she marveled at getting paid for doing what she truly loved to do — work with young children.”
To teachers, Hagen was a hardworking partner who never gave up.
“Teachers with whom she worked begged to have her back in their classrooms each year,” Magistro said.
Hagen was a recipient of a support staff award for outstanding service to the district. She retired in June 2011, but continues to work as a substitute teacher. When she’s not busy working or volunteering, she devotes her time to her husband, children and grandchildren.
Leslie Hinman worked in the district for 22 years as a school nurse. She started her career at Lawrence Brook Elementary before moving to Warnsdorfer Elementary School four years later.
“She was a role model for healthy living and a tremendous resource for students with special needs,” Magistro said, adding that Hinman helped devise new ways to teach students with special needs to advocate for themselves.
Hinman assumed the role of unofficial liaison between the department supervisor and the district’s school nurses. She championed EpiPen legislation, assisting in EpiPen training for school personnel through the creation of staff and development workshops.
Magistro said Hinman had an exceptional talent for cultivating students’ interests. As a health instructor, she created the “Glittery Germs” lesson, where students were given different colors of glittered glue to represent germs. After shaking hands with their classmates, students were able to see how easily unwashed hands spread germs.
“Leslie thrived in writing lessons that would follow students throughout their lives,” Magistro said.
Hinman was diagnosed with cancer late in her career. She retired in 2008 and passed away shortly thereafter.
“She never let her personal health affect her work; she continued to work tirelessly on school committees,” Magistro said. “In the words of her peers, she was an extreme example of everything an effective school nurse should be.”
Longtime teachers Gail Rabii and Kathy Spadafino were also honored.
Rabii was hired in 1985 as a fourth- and fifth-grade science, social studies and language arts teacher, and devoted the next 25 years to positively impacting hundreds of students, Magistro said.
“Her passion for science led to a districtwide impact on the elementary science program,” Magistro said, as Rabii spent years planning high-quality professional-development workshops for district teachers.
She also helped to write the CVS Innovations grant to encourage student-directed learning.
“She taught students to take complete ownership over how they would demonstrate their understanding of a chosen topic,” Magistro said. “The model was disseminated to five other East Brunswick schools under Gail’s leadership and ran in the district for nine years.”
Rabii was honored by the BOE for her grant project and was also named Teacher of the Year in 1992.
The veteran teacher’s impassioned instruction resulted in her becoming the subject of a former student’s college essay. The student wrote, “Mrs. Rabii fostered and developed my love for science and made it into a lasting passion.”
In retirement, Rabii has been spending her time volunteering at Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood, and the Ocean County Superior Courthouse, where she gives school tours to introduce students to courtroom procedures and mock trials.
Spadafino began her career teaching general music at Lawrence Brook Elementary School in 1970. After five years there, she began teaching eighth- and ninth-grade chorus at Churchill Junior High School, before moving on to East Brunswick High School, where she taught chorus, concert choir, advanced placement music theory and beginner piano. She developed a musical theater class to successfully preparing her students for regional, state and national choir, Magistro said.
She also had a tremendous passion for teaching music to students with special needs.
“Kathy’s caring nature and instructional skills made each student feel like the most gifted singer in the room,” Magistro said.
Spadafino’s shows have received awards from Paper Mill Playhouse’s Rising Stars program, which recognizes accomplishments in high school musical theater.
Spadafino continues to serve as a substitute teacher and spends her time practicing yoga, reading, gardening and enjoying time with her family.
Each inductee ceremonially uncovered their name on the Wall of Honor to a resounding round of applause from the audience. Since the program began in 1997, some 133 names have been placed on the wall.
“The wall gets richer and richer every year,” BOE President Todd Simmens said.
Contact Thomas Castles at [email protected].