Following an uplifting performance by the Elwood-John H. Glenn High School chamber strings ensemble, the district’s board of education was thrilled to honor several high school staff members for their unwavering commitment to success.  

The orchestra students and director Emily Dana were credited with bringing a sense of “normalcy” to the meeting. “For the first time in ten months I felt like I was transitioning into a new norm,” Board President James Tomeo said. 

To commemorate the performance, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert presented the group with a certificate on behalf of himself and the board of education. “It’s often said that you don’t know what you have until you lose it,” he said. “I’m not sure it occurred to me just how much I enjoy listening to our students perform until we don’t have the ability to do that.”

At the meeting, the board was also pleased to recognize the newest John H. Glenn High School Nobel Nights, Krista Albrecht, Kimberly Barnes, Solomon Buchman, Jennifer Champouillon, Nicole Gendjoian, Patricia Farrell, Suzanne Hulme, Patricia Iadarola, Arnold Kamhi, Christopher Lafferty and Sara Santos-Camacho. 

Recognizing each of them, though unfortunately not all were in attendance, Principal Carisa Burzynski extended her gratitude for their “profound” dedication to their students and school community. “It is truly my humble honor to serve this faculty and these are among some of the best that we have at John Glenn,” she said.  

Initiated in 2018, the Noble Night award aims to recognize the great work that faculty and staff are doing in the classroom, on the field and in cocurricular settings.

To close out the commendations, the board also sought to recognize the tireless efforts of Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Maureen Hull, Assistant Superintendent for Business Lorraine Dunkel and Dr. Bossert.

“They do a lot of work that starts at the top and transcends all the way down to the bottom,” Mr. Tomeo said. “We are fortunate to have some of the best leaders and our district is reflective of that.”