COURTESY PHOTO
From left, Sami Lawler, Robert Trant, Superintendent Pamela Angelakis, Ann McFarlane, Laurie O’Brien, Karen Quinlan-Bach, Barbara Waitt, Anita Balliro.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Nine members of the Swampscott Public Schools, including seven teachers, a school nurse and a school psychologist, retired at the end of the 2016-17 school year, after collectively amassing 205 years in the school system.
Anita Balliro, Glenn Kane, Sami Lawler, Ann McFarlane, Laurie O’Brien, Karen Quinlan-Bach, Robert Trant, Jo Uminski, and Barbara Waitt were honored at a School Committee meeting last month and Superintendent Pamela Angelakis, who wrote about it in her blog.
“Their dedication and passion for our students is unsurpassed,” Angelakis wrote. “We wish them all the best on their future endeavors.”
Balliro spent 24 years in the schools, starting her career in Swampscott at the former Machon Elementary School, “teaching with a passion for free expression and a belief that all students have the capacity to make beautiful important things,” according to Angelakis.
The superintendent called Balliro an advocate for the arts and every facet of community life. At the high school level, Angelakis said Balliro worked diligently to mentor students through the portfolio process and acceptance into art schools and art programs in higher education.
“Her belief is that the arts should be at the center of learning and school culture,” Angelakis wrote. “At times, she has been the singular voice for the arts, raising the torch for the arts under various leadership models and cultures … Her generosity of spirit, boundless energy, selflessness and unwavering steadfast commitment to the young artists of our community have shaped the district and town immeasurably.”
Kane worked for 23 years as a middle school teacher in history and TV production. Angelakis said Kane has also dedicated much of his time to serve as the lead producer on more than 30 school plays and musicals.
“Because of his talent and dedication as an educator in the performing arts, many of his students have gone on to lead successful careers themselves in the areas of stage, TV, and film production and performance,” Angelakis wrote.
Lawler taught for 21 years in Swampscott, most recently as a fourth grade teacher at Stanley Elementary School. She is known for her deep commitment to the Stanley School family, the school system, and the town, “integrating her networking of the Tin Box Poets and the Senior Center into her teaching and community outreach with students,” Angelakis wrote.
“Sami is incredibly kind and understanding, always seeking first to understand others and frequently reassuring and praising them. She does this with her students too and the result is a classroom that is very safe and accepting.”
McFarlane spent all of her 23 years in the school system with Clarke Elementary School, starting out as a teacher’s aide and then teaching kindergarten, before settling in as a first grade teacher. She’s been an active volunteer on many committees, Angelakis wrote.
“Ann is an amazing educator with a natural ability for teaching young children,” Angelakis wrote. “She is a role model teacher at the Clarke School. We will miss Ann’s fun sense of humor and upbeat personality.”
O’Brien has been a registered nurse for 41 years and a school nurse at Clarke School for 18 years. Certain events such as 9/11 stand out to O’Brien, who was asked by her principal, Carolyn Murphy, to develop a crisis response manual, which is still being used. Her other accomplishments include developing the public access defibrillator program, coordinating training, helping to teach CPR to staff, and coordinating with public health authorities during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic.
Quinlan-Bach worked as a speech/language pathologist in the school system — at Machon, Hadley School and most recently at Clarke School — for 24 years. Her work included leading professional development trainings in autism, differentiated learning and stress management.
Trant has been a Swampscott Public Schools psychologist for 29 years. He is a past recipient of the Massachusetts School Psychology Association School Psychologist of the Year award, and “has demonstrated great determination and courage when faced with challenges that has been inspiring to those around him,” Angelakis wrote.
“His knowledge and experience have been a resource for the district that is not replaceable. He not only has left his mark on the lives of Swampscott students but has been a professor at Tufts University, including supervising interns that have become members of the Swampscott team. Under his guidance, they are able to follow in his footsteps and lead the district forward, allowing his legacy to continue.”
Uminski spent 16 years as a special educator in the school system, teaching for a combined 41 years across multiple districts. Angelakis praised Uminski for her willingness to continually adapt on behalf of the hundreds of students she has served, pointing out that when the teacher started, MCAS didn’t exist and IEPs were handwritten.
“While so much has changed in education along her professional path, her tireless dedication to helping students of all different shapes and sizes has not wavered,” Angelakis wrote.
Waitt taught for 27 years in Swampscott Public Schools and retired after her time as a Stanley School teacher. Angelakis praised Waitt for being kind, calm, understanding and sincere.
The superintendent said Waitt is an active listener and caring, and those skills have allowed her to form great relationships with challenging students she has had over the years, subsequently leading them to have successful school years. She worked to implement balanced literacy three years ago, which has allowed her students to read high interest books at the right level.
“We were so proud to honor these retiring teachers, several with 20-plus years in our school district,” said Amy O’Connor, vice-chair of the School Committee. “Their dedication, experience and breadth of knowledge leaves a lasting impact on our students and the educational community.”
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
