The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
State Capitol ceremony honors local parent leaders
MIDDLETOWN — Nine Connecticut citizens, including two locals, earned Parental Involvement Recognition Awards at the state Capitol this week to honor their contributions to their schools and communities.
The Middletown-based State Education Resource Center on Roscommon Drive sponsors the Connecticut awards in collaboration with the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, according to a press release. The event is held on National Parental Involvement Day, launched by St. Louis-based Project Appleseed.
The 2018 winners include Stewart Semeraro of Cromwell, who is involved with the Montessori Magnet School in Hartford; and Camille Smith of Middletown, an advocate for her child’s school, according to the release.
School leaders, program coordinators and others from across Connecticut were invited to nominate parents and guardians who have shown active involvement and ability to make a difference in their children’s school or community; support of their local school and contributions to high-quality education for all children; and dedication and advocacy to ensure equity for all parents and their children, the release said.
Smith was nominated by Donna Marino, community partnership coordinator at the Middletown School System. “I have known Camille for the past nine years in many roles, including the time she has given to graduate from every parent leadership course offered in Middletown, which includes: People Empowering People, Parent Leadership Training Institute, Parents Supporting Educational Excellence and Voices for Families,” she said in a prepared statement.
“Ms. Smith has successfully honed her skills and tools to be a dedicated school volunteer and a civically engaged city advocate. Middletown is fortunate to have Camille serve on many boards and committees. She has advocated to keep her child's elementary school open, helping with set up and clean up at the many meetings she attends, serving on interview team for school principal, and organizing teachers appreciation week,” Marino said.
Semeraro was nominated by Yesenia Rivera-Ortiz, family and community engagement liaison with CREC Montessori Magnet School in Hartford.
“Mr. Semeraro is an exemplar parent, and his involvement at school and in his community is worthy of admiration. He has been the president of our Parent Teacher Association twice in the past three years, but has been an active parent in our school community for over six years, with multiple children enrolled in our program,” RiveraOrtiz said in the release.
Semeraro has led and contributed to successful fundraisers that help support teacher and parent initiatives in the classroom.
“The way he works collaboratively with his wife Cristina demonstrations to their kids how much they mean to them and how invested they are in their education. Mr. Semeraro has looked for resources that help him communicate with non-English-speaking families at the school so that all families feel included and to make sure all feel welcome in our school,” she added.
The State Education Resource Center is a quasi-public agency created to assist the Connecticut State Board of Education in promoting educational equity and excellence, according to its mission.
SERC provides resources and professional learning to educators, families, and community members in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education and other public and private partners.