Educator receives surprise salute for service
BY LIZ PREMO
ATLANTIC NEWS STAFF WRITER
When Judy Sullivan walked into class following a recent Morning Meeting at Marston School, she received a hearty round of applause from the students who had just returned to their desks.
The reason for their enthusiastic greeting had carried over from the all-school meeting, during which Sullivan was given a service award presented by Gary Lovgren of the New England Chapter of the Troops to Teachers program.
"I was surprised," says Sullivan, a United States Air Force Veteran. "I was speechless."
And serenaded by the students, who sang the Air Force anthem in Sullivan's honor and greeted her with an official hand salute.
"We tried to give it that [military] flair," says Assistant Principal Lois Costa, explaining that the emphasis for the day's Morning Meeting "was on service" and the four charitable community drives the school holds every year.
A resident of Rye, Sullivan and her husband, Brian, a retired Marine, have three children age 27, 26 and 9. Prior to landing the job as a special education (SPED) teacher for grades 3-5 at Marston, Sullivan had served 23 years in the United States Air Force, achieving the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.
The nod toward Sullivan's back-to-back careers was "tied in [when] we talked about caring, compassion and service, and human acts of kindness," says Costa. Students were encouraged that they can perform "all kinds of service - to country and community - even on a small scale."
Also in attendance at the Morning Meeting to see Sullivan receive her award were SAU21 Superintendent Jim Gaylord, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Maureen Ward, and Marston Principal David O'Connor.
Observing that Sullivan "is not one for fanfare," Costa says they first heard of the Troops to Teachers honors when "Gary called David and said, 'This is a really big deal. This is a surprise.'"
It is, and it was.
The award - which came in the form of a framed certificate, pins, a pen and a letter from the Troops to Teachers organization - acknowledges Sullivan's successful transition from military service to the teaching profession.
The certificate reads, "In recognition of your service to public education, with appreciation of your superior leadership, dedication and commitment that promotes academic achievement and a positive learning environment."
Managed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), Troops to Teachers is a US Department of Education and Department of Defense program that helps eligible military personnel begin a new career as teachers in public schools where their skills, knowledge and experience are most needed.
Among Sullivan's tours of duty during her military service to her country: Europe, South Korea, Hawaii and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in the early 1990s. Her experiences, she says, have given her "a lot of good things to bring back to a classroom."
And while she resists going into "drill sergeant mode" during school hours, she does dedicate her time to "finding ways and strategies to get children to want to learn" - a mission worthy of recognition.
Troops to Teachers provides referral assistance and placement services to military personnel interested in beginning a second career in public education as a teacher. The DANTES Troops to Teachers office helps applicants identify teacher certification requirements, programs leading to certification and employment opportunities. Find out more at www.proudtoserveagain.org.
(ON THE COVER: Marston SPED teacher Judy Sullivan (holding her Troops to Teachers award) is pictured with (from left) Marston Principal David O'Connor, SAU21 Superintendent Jim Gaylord; Assistant Superintendent Dr. Maureen Ward; Marston Assistant Principal Lois Costa; and Gary Lovgren of Troops to Teachers.)
