At the Chelsea School Committee meeting on Thursday, March 27, the Chelsea Public Schools (CPS) recognized its female school leaders for their leadership and service as part of a Women’s History Month presentation. Superintendent Dr. Almi G. Abeyta also bestowed two Name, Strength and Story Awards to two educators: Chelsea High School Instructional Coach Morgan Grace and Wright Science and Technology Academy Teacher John Ruggiero.
The following individuals were recognized with Women’s History Month honors: CPS Principals Margo DiBiasio, Lisa Lineweaver, Dr. Kim Crowley, Blanca Restrepo, Katie Cook and Meg Maccini; CPS Operations Assistant Kim Geraci; Chelsea Teachers’ Union leadership Katheryn Anderson and Vanesa Mendoza-Mercado; CPS Superintendent’s Leadership Team members Dr. Tamara Blake-Canty, Michelle Martinello, Christine Lee and Billie Jo Turner; State Representative Judith Garcia and City Councilor (Delegate to the School Committee) Kelly Garcia; School Committee members and Student Representatives Ana Hernandez, Lucia Henriquez, Claryangeliz Covas Caraballo, Mayra Balderas, Yessenia Alfaro, Katherine Cabral, Dr. Sarah Neville, Diana Salinas Garcia, Rosalia Hernandez and Vanesa Lopez-Iraheta; and Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and School Committee Clerk Veronica Dyer-Medina and Superintendent Dr. Almi G. Abeyta.
Morgan Grace received a Name, Strength and Story award in part due to her diligent work as an instructional coach to support the science department at Chelsea High School. She has created space where teachers feel empowered to collaborate, refine instructional approaches and feel supported to provide the best possible instruction for students.
Assistant Principal Jennifer Knight commented, “Your strategic and thoughtful leadership has strengthened our department by fostering collaboration and supporting teachers in implementing high-quality instructional practices.”
Middle school educator John Ruggiero received the evening´s other Name, Strength and Story Award. A dedicated Chelsea teacher who is known to dedicate extra hours afterschool to support students’ learning, Mr. Ruggiero has impacted the lives of many Chelsea students. In addition to the content that he teachers in the classroom, Mr. Ruggiero is the advisor for the afterschool program “IDEAS in Medicine”, is a frequent chaperone and volunteer on field trips and dedicates his time during school vacations to teach at Chelsea High School’s Acceleration Academy.
A former student of his at the Wright shared about this about John: “I had a teacher in the seventh grade, his name was Mr. Ruggiero, and he was very cool and he always had a lot to say about higher education, and he also was very respectful towards people in that field. So it kind of I think passed on to me because now I think that people in the medical field or people with higher education are very cool.”