Six ‘Distinguished Teachers’ Are Honored

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Six teachers (bottom row) were honored at the 2017 ‘Distinguished Teachers Awards’ ceremony on May 2 at Greenwich High. (Richard Kaufman photo)

By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter

On Tuesday, May 2, at the Performing Arts Center at Greenwich High School, parents, students, faculty and government members gathered for the 2017 Distinguished Teachers Awards ceremony.

There was an outpouring of love and admiration for this year’ s recipients—six Greenwich area teachers who have helped shape the lives of their students:

Steven Babyak, fifth grade teacher at Cos Cob School; Victoria Morrison Cappiali, a kindergarten teacher at North Street School; Michael Galatioto,a history and psychology teacher at GHS; Erin Randall, a special education teacher at GHS; Bridget Suvansri, a language arts teacher at Eastern Middle School; and Diane Taylor, a special education teacher at North Mianus School.

Tuesday marked the 33rd annual Greenwich Distinguished Teachers Awards. The awards committee has worked on the selection process over the last eight months, and chose this year’ s recipients based on nominations made by colleagues, parents, students, administrators and community members.

Each teacher was introduced by a nominator—a parent, former student, or colleague. Some were overcome with emotion while describing what a particular teacher has meant to them or to their child. Nominator Audra O’ Donovan said that Diane Taylor has been invaluable to her child’ s education.

“Many students enter [Mrs. Taylor’ s] room saying ‘ I can’ t,’ and by the time they leave they say ‘ I can.’ Losing hope is not an option,” O’ Donovan said of Taylor, fighting back tears. “ I know that my child is looking into her eyes to seek the answer to, ‘ Am I good enough?’ Mrs. Taylor assures him that ‘ Yes, you are.’”

Taylor has been a teacher for 26 years, 21 of them at North Mianus School. She follows one simple yet profound quote by education consultant Ignacio Estrada. “ If they can’ t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Taylor said she keeps this in mind every day with every single student she interacts with.

“Each child is unique, and it’ s our job as teachers to find what opens their minds and their hearts,” she said.

For history and psychology teacher Michael Galatioto, who has spent his entire 12-year career at GHS, the relationship between teacher and student is one of the most important aspects of education. He equated being part of a student’ s journey to the journey that a caterpillar goes through.

“Teachers are in a unique position in that we have the opportunity to celebrate our students’ victories and their triumphs,” Galatioto said. “ We also get to work with them through their struggles. At the end of our time together, we get to witness the metamorphosis and growth they each undergo.”

Erin Randall, who is in her eighth year teaching at GHS, said that she was told by someone when she was teaching in West Hartford about 10 years ago that she should seek a job in Greenwich because it was one of the most desirable places to work.

After a rough first year in Greenwich, Randall said that an opportunity in her second year reshaped her thinking about teaching and learning. In 2010, Randall was asked to launch the school district’ s first unified sports program in Greenwich—an affiliated program of the Special Olympics.

The goal of the program is to offer an inclusive athletic and social experience for those with and without disabilities. The program has evolved over the years and has become a family, said Randall. She added that she’ s learned that even the smallest bit of praise can enhance someone’ s day, and that being part of a team or making a new friend can change someone’ s life. It’ s this connectivity to her students that has made Randall feelright at home in Greenwich.

“If someone were to ask me today what it’ s like to work in Greenwich, not only would I say that it’ s desirable, but it’ s a collaborative and compassionate community that I call home and my students my inspiration,” she said.

Bridget Suvansri, who has taught for 19 years, including 15 at Eastern Middle School, was introduced and nominated by two former students, Catherine and Patrick O’ Brien.

“In our experience at Eastern, we have found Mrs. Suvansri to be one of the most motivational and inspiring teachers,” Catherine said. “ She pours her heart and soul into every one of her students, and has earned the utmost respect form parents, students and colleagues.”

Catherine said that many of Suvansri’ s former eighth graders, including her brother Patrick, have created what’ s called “ The Suvansri Bar,” by which other teachers are ranked. “ Although several have scored high, no others have reached her,” Catherine said, as the auditorium erupted in laughter.

Stephen Babyak, a fifth grade teacher at Cos Cob, was introduced and nominated by Danielle Manion, a parent of a former student. Danielle described how her son, Harry, had been nervous to move on to sixth grade. “ He said to me, ‘ I will look for Mr. Babyak in each of my teachers, and maybe they will see the part of me he thinks is special, too.’”

“This kid gave me a run for my money,” Babyak said of Harry when he got up to the podium. “Everything that I taught Harry has paled in comparison to what he taught me.” Babyak explained that during graduation last year, instead of shaking his hand like they had practiced, Harry walked right through him and gave him a big hug. “That moment I truly felt success,” Babyak said.

Twenty-five-year teacher Victoria Morrison Cappiali was described as being a mix of Marry Poppins and Maria von Trapp, with a “dash of wonder, a yearning for learning, mixed together with love” by her nominator, Jennifer Behette.

True to that description, Cappiali strolled up to the podium with a Marry Poppins-like bag, and pulled out different hats that she tried on to represent everything a teacher must be throughout the course of the day. A policeman’ s cap, to keep everything under control. A nurse’ s hat, “ to take care of the boo-boos and bruises.” A light-up Christmas hat, to keep it loose and to celebrate. A chef’ s hat, to cook up a good lesson plan. A gardening hat, to “ sew the seeds of education and help our students to learn.” At the end of her speech, Cappiali tipped her cap to her fellow teachers and award recipients.

State Sen. Scott Frantz, who spoke toward the end of the hour-long ceremony, perhaps best summed up what the award embodies and put everything into perspective when he addressed the teachers.

He mentioned how he remembered the handful of teachers who made huge differences in his life, and assured the teachers sitting to his right that they, too, will be remembered for the positive impacts they’ ve made.

“There’ s no question that there will be hundreds of your students by the time you’ re done with your careers who will say the same thing many years down the road about the teacher they had in second grade, 11th grade, and how they planted the seed or had this one-on-one conversation that changed [their] life forever for the better,” he said.

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