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Teachers of the year in Sparta

| 01 Feb 2017 | 01:02
    From left to right:Peter Miller, Alpine School Vice Principal; Lisa Marie Pugliese, Alpine Teacher; Virginia Krieg, Special Services Teacher; Jane Esposito, Psychologist; Joe Leone, Alpine School Principal; Suzanne Smith, Mohawk Avenue School Teacher; Laura Trent, Mohawk Avenue School Principal; Michael Rossi, Superintendent; Janet Ferraro, Sparta High School Principal; Danielle Hamblin, Director of Special Services; Brad Davis, Sparta Middle School Vice Principal; Laura Sofen, Sparta Middle School Teacher; Dana Smulewicz, Helen Morgan School Teacher; Brent Rivers, Sparta High School Teacher.
    From left to right:Peter Miller, Alpine School Vice Principal; Lisa Marie Pugliese, Alpine Teacher; Virginia Krieg, Special Services Teacher; Jane Esposito, Psychologist; Joe Leone, Alpine School Principal; Suzanne Smith, Mohawk Avenue School Teacher; Laura Trent, Mohawk Avenue School Principal; Michael Rossi, Superintendent; Janet Ferraro, Sparta High School Principal; Danielle Hamblin, Director of Special Services; Brad Davis, Sparta Middle School Vice Principal; Laura Sofen, Sparta Middle School Teacher; Dana Smulewicz, Helen Morgan School Teacher; Brent Rivers, Sparta High School Teacher.

By Liam Donovan
Sparta — The Sparta Board of Education held Teacher of the Year awards in the Mohawk Avenue School auditorium on Monday, January 30 in honor of New Jersey teacher recognition month. One or two teachers from each school were selected to win an award.
The ceremony started off with awards for Sparta High School faculty. SHS principal Janet Ferraro presented Dr. Jane Esposito, school psychologist, the educational services professional of the year award. She then presented Brent Rivers, Sparta High School teacher, the governor’s teacher of the year award. Ferraro spoke of Rivers “piloting the use of Chromebooks” in his English classrooms.
Next Sparta Middle School vice principal Brad Davis awarded the teacher of the year award to Laura Sofen. Davis spoke of Sofen’s TED-Ed program in which students “research, prepare and give TED talks” in her Language Arts classrooms.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a non-profit media organization which posts talks online for free distribution, under the slogan "ideas worth sharing."
Douglas Layman, Helen Morgan School principal, next awarded Dana Smulewicz, fourth grade teacher, the teacher of the year award. Smulewicz had a small crowd of faculty and student supporters in attendance. Layman quoted one of Smulewicz’s students in his presentation, who said of the teacher that she “makes my brother like school.”
Mohawk Avenue School principal Laura Trent awarded Suzanne Smith, third grade teacher, the teacher of the year award. Trent called Smith a “teacher leader.”
Alpine School awards were presented last with two educators receiving awards: Virginia Krieg, speech therapist and Lisa-Marie Pugliese, first grade teacher. Alpine school vice principal Peter Miller presented both awards, saying one student said Krieg “makes me speak good.” He then spoke of students in Pugliese’s class calling their teacher “sweet,” “great,” and “beautiful.”
Each teacher award recipient is now eligible for the Sussex County Teacher of the Year Award.