JACKSON – The School District started off the new year by swearing in two returning members for new terms during the Board of Education’s reorganization meeting, followed by honoring educators later in the month.
Incumbents Tara Rivera and Brian McCarron were sworn in to three-year terms on the Jackson Board of Education.
McCarron was chosen by the Board in December 2022 to fill a one-year unexpired term. He is married and has two sons that are enrolled in Jackson schools and has been a resident of Jackson for more than 20 years.
He is a retired police officer. He was assigned as the first School Resource Officer to his school district’s middle school.
This year marks Rivera’s seventh on the board. She has been a resident of Jackson for more than 26 years and has two children. She earned her Master’s Degree and has a background in Education, Special Education and Psychology.
She said that she is committed to working alongside other board members in all aspects to ensure all students reach their maximum potential with the highly qualified staff that support them. Her vision is to have transparency in all areas and to help families and staff work collectively and respectfully.
The board also voted unanimously for Giuseppe Palmeri to continue on as the Board president and Tina Kas to remain as the vice president of the Board.
Palmeri said he is looking forward to working with the board to maximize community involvement in the school district. Kas said she seeks to maintain high academic standards. Her priorities are giving students the best educational tools and maintaining the varied programs within the district.
Top Educators
School officials announced this year’s teacher and educational service professional (ESP) of the year award winners.
The winners include:
Liberty High School teacher of the year Anthony Mastromarino, and Anthony Myres as ESP,
Memorial High School teacher of the year Laura Fecak, and Joan Dillon as ESP.
Goetz Middle School teacher of the year Stacey Terranova, and Stacie Kajewski as ESP.
McAuliffe Middle School teacher of the year Odette Farrell, and Lindsey O’Brien as ESP.
Crawford-Rodriguez Elementary School teacher of the year Catherine Carley, and Ellen Goldberg as ESP.
Elms Elementary School teacher of the year Melissa Zecca, and Jacqueline Burnside as ESP.
Holman Elementary School teacher of the year Michele Lardieri, and Haley Caravella as ESP.
Johnson Elementary School teacher of the year Lisa Cirigliano, and Patricia Ciaccio as ESP.
Rosenauer Elementary School teacher of the year Gina Kenney, and Debra Jones as ESP.
Switlik Elementary School teacher of the year Diana McElwee, and Amy Melchiorri as ESP.
Mayor Michael Reina and the Council congratulated all the winners. “Teachers are our first line heroes when it comes to our children and Jackson has some of the best teachers in the world,” the mayor said.
“These men and women spend their days teaching our children the skills they are going to need to succeed in life and have helped countless students achieve their dreams – whether it’s college, an art, a trade career or the military. The district is consistently rated one of the best in the state and it shows,” Reina added.
Councilman Scott Sargent, who previously served on the Jackson BOE, commended this year’s recipients.
“As a school board member, it was an honor each year to present these awards. These are the people who are on the front lines in our education system and this group has demonstrated they go above and beyond to educate and guide our children down the path to success in their lives,” Sargent said.
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