After having just received final word of Mrs. Alexander’s plans, and as is the custom each May, I write to share an end-of-the-year note about staffing.
School Nurse Michelle Alexander has recently notified me that she will be moving to Connecticut this summer to be closer to her family and that this will be her last year at BCD. Michelle first joined the staff at BCD’s high school in 2005. Ever the professional, she took her role and responsibilities as a nurse and dependable colleague very seriously. Her commitment to her work and her obvious concern for the students and the School has been appreciated by her colleagues, students, and parents. Responsive, intuitive, and experienced, she embraced each child and their needs with care, compassion, precision, and purpose. No two days were ever the same for Michelle, and she deftly attended to each matter, including personally overseeing the daily care of several children with Diabetes and severe allergies. I am appreciative of all that she has done and the standards she has held for herself and others.
Second Grade Assistant Teacher Beth Spear will not be returning next year. A valued member of the faculty at Berkshire Country Day School for the past three years, Beth has worked as a long-term substitute teacher and assistant teacher in our First and Second Grade classrooms. She has always demonstrated her skills and talents as an elementary school teacher, and she has loved teaching these age groups. She has been respected by her everyone for the quality of her teaching, her concern for her students, her positive and engaging personality, and her collaborative manner. And, please join me in congratulating Beth as she prepares for the birth of her first child this August.
Finally, Computer teacher Maureen Tumenas will also not be returning to BCD next year. A member of the faculty at Berkshire Country Day School for the past twenty-one years, Maureen has worked as a Kindergarten teacher, Early Childhood Division Coordinator, Lower School Science teacher, and most recently as the Computer Teacher in grades Four through Eight. Maureen has demonstrated the skills and talents of a proficient practitioner in all areas related to technology. As a dedicated colleague, she has been respected for the quality of her teaching, her knowledge and resourcefulness, her commitment to innovation, and her concern for advancing curriculum and the integration of technology. Her attention to the curricular needs of students has been equally admirable. I am grateful for all that she has contributed to BCD and the School’s programs over the years.
We will look forward to celebrating and thanking all of our wonderful teachers (and congratulating the four new members of the faculty for the successful completion of their first year at BCD), but especially Michelle, Beth, and Maureen, when we gather as a community for our final assembly on Friday, June 7.