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11/10/2021 11:00 PMThe Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) has honored the Old Saybrook Board of Education (BOE) for the 11th consecutive year as a Board of Distinction. As one of only 16 districts out of 169 in the state to earn this prestigious recognition, the Old Saybrook BOE has demonstrated model leadership and teamwork in the areas of Board Leadership/Student Achievement, Board Member Professional Development, Board Policy, Community Relations, and Organizational Leadership.
The BOE consists of nine volunteer members: Tara Barros (chair), Alan Hyla (vice-chair), Karen Brodeur (Secretary), Eileen Baker, George Chang, Jim Henderson, Jan Furman, Cindy Sultini, and Karina Julius. Each year, the board takes up a variety of important tasks, including the superintendent’s evaluation, budget adoption, policy approval, personnel issues, and, most important, student programming and support. The BOE works together seamlessly to provide students with as many educational opportunities as possible, communicate the vision of district to staff, parents, and the community, and maintain close partnerships with other municipal organizations such as Youth & Family Services, Parks & Recreation, the Acton Public Library, the Police and Fire departments, and the Selectman’s Office.
“The Old Saybrook BOE is honored to be recognized again for the 11th consecutive year by CABE as a board of excellence,” said Barros. “The BOE takes its responsibility of supporting Student achievement very seriously and puts both the mission of the district and the strategic plan at the heart of our work. I am very proud to be a member of such a distinguished group of volunteers!”
The BOE was also awarded two Bonnie B. Carney Awards of Excellence for Educational Communications by CABE for the creation and launch of the district’s COVID-19 website for students, staff, and community members and for the creation of a promotional video for the district’s Summer Enrichment Program. Established in 1975, this award recognizes districts that do an exceptional job communicating with a variety of stakeholder groups through several different mediums.
One of the primary goals of the Summer Enrichment Program was to create a promotional piece that would showcase several hands-on courses such as, Art Workshops, Plantas y Jardineria, and Go Bananas, to the entire community.
“We were really proud to be able to offer this program to our students,” commented Perruccio. “We knew we wanted to share that experience with the entire community in a way that would not only celebrate the learning that took place this summer, but also work as a recruitment tool for future summer programs.”
The district’s award-winning Summer Enrichment video shows students in action as they engage in unique and varied summer experiences.
The COVID-19 website provides the latest communications from the superintendent of schools regarding news, updates, and plans related to the pandemic. The site also provides technology resources and training videos aimed at improving student and staff health and safety. The award for an outstanding website is given to only one district annually with total student enrollment of less than 2,000 students.
Regarding the need for the new COVID-19 site, Perruccio stated, “The pandemic created anxiety and fear among our families across the state and nation. It was clear to us that frequent, linear, and clear communication was necessary to create a climate of calm.”
Old Saybrook High School PTO President Trevor Nichols added, “I am not surprised the Old Saybrook Board of Education was recognized with the Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence for the district’s COVID-19 website. The pandemic has created a lot of anxiety, fear, and raw emotion among parents with children. Keeping our two boys healthy and safe became the most important concern in our family. The COVID-19 website is a great resource with real information on measures being taken to address our fears. Much of this information was also sent out via email. Our family really appreciates the efforts taken by the Old Saybrook school district to keep us informed throughout this difficult time!”
As the 2021-’22 academic year gets underway, Old Saybrook Public Schools and the Old Saybrook BOE are looking forward to beginning work on the 2021-’26 strategic plan, which was officially launched at convocation on Aug. 27. The new strategic plan will focus primarily on three goals related to equity, high-quality instruction, and providing a safe and supportive learning environment. To learn more about the new strategic plan, visit the district website www.oldsaybrookschools.org.