We are proud to announce the third quarter Successories winners for the 2022-23 school year! Second-grade teacher Morgan Kelly will receive a personal day. Our other Successory recipients will receive a B-P Yeti travel mug. Please read below to hear why each of these five employees was chosen to win a Successories Award this quarter!
Morgan Kelly, Second Grade Teacher
Morgan Kelly is in her first year teaching second grade at B-P Elementary School. She was nominated for a Successory by a grateful parent who wrote: “Ms. Kelly cares about all her students and loves her ‘classroom family.’ As a parent, I greatly appreciate the amount of communication between home and school and all the work she puts into ensuring my child not only learns the curriculum but is taken care of.”
“I am honored to have received an award that holds so much meaning,” Kelly said. “The connections with my students are of utmost importance to me as an educator. To know that these values and efforts are noticed makes me feel over the moon!”
Ginger Smith, Kitchen Staff
A long-time member of the kitchen staff at the Perth campus, Ginger Smith’s nomination comes from a fellow employee in the district and reads, “For 20 years, Ginger has been dedicated to serving up smiles to the students with a side of lunch. We appreciate not only her dedication to our district and students but also the level of care she has with her position. She is truly one of a kind and the district is extremely lucky to have her as an employee.”
“If I can just make one kid smile per day, that is a great day to me,” Smith said. “I am extremely grateful to receive this award. It is nice to know that someone appreciates you as a person on a daily basis.”
Thaddeus Izzo, Second Grade Teacher
Thaddeus Izzo is a second grade teacher at Boradalbin-Perth Elementary School who says he could not imagine doing anything else professionally. His pride in teaching stems from his own personal experiences as well as a great influence growing up. Izzo was nominated for this award by a thankful parent who has seen firsthand how personable he is with his students; “Thank you, Mr. Izzo, for always being there for all students. My son has grown so much being in your class, and watching him become more confident and excel in school is thanks to all you do to keep him on track and believe in
himself.”
“I was initially surprised when I first found out I was receiving this award,” Izzo said. “I never thought teaching was about recognition, and I never expected to be recognized for just doing my job. I appreciate what was said and will take it to heart and try to continue to do my best.”
Izzo said that his nomination was validation of his personal goal as a teacher: to positively influence as many children as possible.
“I wanted to let children know that learning can be fun, and once it’s fun, it’s easy,” he said. “Getting positive feedback like this lets me know that I am still accomplishing that goal.”
For Izzo, teaching runs in his blood. “My father and mother were both in education,” he said. “I still, to this day, have people come up to me and ask if I am related to them. When I tell them yes, their eyes light up, and they begin telling me story after story about how my parents changed their life. I just recently had a young man approach me and ask who my mother was. When I told him, he hugged me and let me know that if it were not for my mother, he would probably not be here. He said she was the only person in his life who believed in him, and because of her, he now had a wife, two kids, and a steady job.”
When asked if he had a message to pass along to the world he replied “ I would tell parents and future parents to embrace these years. Your child is only young once. Put the phone away and spend quality time with your child. We live in one of the most beautiful areas in the world, the Adirondack Mountains, take advantage of this place. Before you know it they are going to be grown up and you will be wondering where all the memories are.”
Lynn Bond, District Data Coordinator/Business Teacher
Lynn Bond has been a member of the Broadalbin-Perth community for more than 20 years Bond said she was shocked to find out she had been nominated for a Successory award.
“Who me? Why? I try to stay under the radar. I like to quietly help others and get my work done,” she said.
Bond’s nomination read, in part, “Lynn has served various roles over the years but her work ethic and drive have never changed. Thank you, Lynn, for leaving your mark on the B-P community. “
The Perth graduate said she jumped at the chance to return to the school district when the opportunity presented itself.
“I was working at a local bank when a former superintendent asked me if I would be interested in working at B-P,” Bond said. “I thought about my teachers and the influence they had on me, the fun I had, and the memories I made. All of these combined inspired me to apply for the job. I have had a wonderful 22 years of great staff and students. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Ashleigh Ferguson, Literary Specialist
Literary specialist Ashleigh Ferguson moved to the B-P community in 2012 and says she has truly felt at home ever since.
“After working in other school districts, I immediately realized how different B-P is. Every member of our district would do anything for our kids,” she said.
Ferguson was nominated by a parent, who says she “has gone above and beyond to help my son
this year. She has helped him make tremendous growth by seeing him as an individual and how he learns best. We cannot thank her enough for their support.”
“As our kids would say, ‘Let’s go!’” Ferguson said in reaction to her nomination “I feel so honored to be acknowledged as a Successories winner. All of our staff members go above and beyond every single day and I am proud to be a teacher at B-P.”