Greetings to you from a “school’s almost out” moment.

 

At the Board of Education meeting recently, we recognized Pat Trask, one of our Coventry High School English teachers and the Chairperson of our English Department.  Pat was commended for being recognized as an All American Teacher of the Year by the National Math and Science Initiative. This is a stunning recognition of an English teacher by a math and science organization.  It reflects the integration of instruction and the accomplishments of this exceptional woman. It should be noted that Pat Trask was one of the Chairs of our high school accreditation team, a leader with our advanced placement (Project Opening Doors) initiative, and is an active leader on our Curriculum Resource Team, just to mention a few of her strengths.  It was a wonderful moment for Coventry Public Schools to again be nationally recognized for the good work being accomplished by our staff. 

 

We have so many staff members and students that receive very large scale recognitions and awards!  If you follow our press releases at all, it’s dramatically clear that exceptional programs and practices are evident at all of our schools.  For a small town such as ours, these are commendations for which we should be very proud.

 

Most importantly, let me not forget to mention that Pat is retiring this year!  As I said several times recently, she is a fine example of a seasoned, very experienced staff member with lots of energy and initiative serving flexibly; taking on and leading staff through the changes demanded by state and federal requirements.  

 

PLEASE NOTE, Pat is just one of the exemplary staff members who are taking advantage of the district’s early retirement incentive. We will lose over 400 YEARS of service that have been provided to Coventry Public School young people.  These staff members, leaving us this year and next, have been the backbone of so many programs and practices developed here in Coventry over the years.  They are teachers that can be credited for the successes of thousands of students. We commend our teacher retirees (and our one administrative retiree) and wish them health and happiness in their next adventures.

 

Enjoy your summer.

 

Donna