Board of Ed. Honors Retiring Educators

Celebrations and tears carried the night at the Suffield Board of Education meeting as the panel acknowledged the careers of several veteran educators who are retiring. The sessions took place Tuesday at the Suffield Middle School media center.

The highlight of the night was a video presentation honoring Suffield High School Vice Principal Ed Garvey, who completes a successful career in school administration this year.

The video was prepared by Suffield High School teacher Carl Casinghino’s film and video class and featured the entire student body and a tour of the school grounds. It mixed music with lip-synching students, called a lip dub, and ended in the SHS gym with a big thank you to “The Garv.” It premiered at the SHS film festival.

The board gave Garvey a standing ovation at the meeting as he wiped away tears.

“I want to thank the board for all their support over the years,” he said. “The whole school pulled together for that video and I am touched and honored.”

He said students and parents had somehow kept the whole project a secret from him.

“That’s when I knew it was time to retire,” Garvey joked, referencing a career where he prided himself on knowing what was happening at the school. Garvey spent 15 years as a special education teacher in Southwick before coming to Suffield in 1988. He has served as vice principal and principal at Suffield High School since.

“I just love kids and that’s what it's all about,” Garvey said.

He is enthusiastic about the new administration of the high school and feels he is leaving the Wildcats headed in a positive direction. He said he will miss many things about Suffield, especially spirit night, which he has emceed for many years.

“I’d be willing to come back,” he said with a smile. “I will always love Suffield.”
The board honored several other retiring educators. The teachers so recognized included Pat Thivierge, Sharon Franz, Larry Katulka, Allen Hoffacker, Karen Carlson, Sue Carlson and Jean Johnson.

Interim Superintendent Mary Greenlaw-Dixon delivered her final report to the board on Tuesday. Greenlaw-Dixon’s status for next year is undecided as yet with the hire of new permanent Superintendent Karen Baldwin, but she did report numerous accomplishments during her tenure.

Greenlaw-Dixon said she is proud of the last two budget approvals, which were accomplished without a referendum and without losing any teaching positions or compromising the quality of the school system.

Greenlaw-Dixon also took pride in Monday’s ground breaking of the new agriscience building and the addition of valuable communication software tools for Suffield families.

“I am most proud of the work we have done in instructional rounds and focusing on what’s important in our profession; what goes on in the classroom day in and day out,” she said. “Our hearts and souls are in all that we do.”

In other news, the board accepted a $15,000 donation for an additional scoreboard for the high school stadium. The board also noted that the current budget has been balanced and that the end of the fiscal year will see neither a large surplus nor deficit.