Cooperative Educational Services Names Paraeducator of the Year, Renames Award in Honor of Slain Newtown Paraeducator Anne Marie Murphy

Press release:

Benjamin Megna, an educational instructor in the Preschool-Primary Learning Center at Cooperative Educational Services (C.E.S.) Special Education, is this year’s Paraeducator of the Year. Ben, who was hired in 2009, has worked with kids of all ages with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Anne Marie Murphy Paraeducator of the Year Program was created to recognize the important role of the paraeducator in supporting student achievement. The Award was renamed in 2013 in honor of Anne Marie Murphy, a special education paraeducator who was killed in Newtown. Anne Marie had wrapped 6-year-old Dylan Hockley in her arms as they both fell in a hail of bullets at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. She worked one-to-one with Dylan.

“The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that I directly make an impact,” said Ben. “It is very fulfilling knowing that I can help shape and influence lives positively on a daily basis.”

Criteria for the award are outlined by six standards identified from the National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals Model and include assisting teachers with: building and maintaining effective instructional teams, maintaining learner-centered supportive environments, planning and organizing learning experiences, engaging students in learning, instruction, assessing learner needs, progress, and achievement, as well as meeting standards of professional and ethical conduct.

“I am thrilled to hear that Ben has been chosen as Paraeducator of the Year,” stated Eve Mullen, Preschool-Primary Learning Center Program Administrator. “Ben is a calm and collegial individual. He is a team player and always ‘has his teacher’s back’. Ben has a natural gift for building rapport with students who can be highly anxious and untrusting of others. He is a motivated learner and someone who strives to expand his skills.”

Ben is now in the running for the State Paraeducator for 2015. Three finalists will be identified by the state judges’ panel in September. The winner of the 2015 State Paraeducator of the Year will be announced at the Statewide Paraeducators as Partners Conference on November 6.

“Ben has demonstrated over the past five years, his passion for working with special needs students to make them employment ready upon graduation and to lead productive lives,” stated Dr. Evan Pitkoff, Executive Director at C.E.S.
This is the third year that C.E.S. has participated in the State Paraeducators of the Year program.

The mission of Cooperative Educational Services is to identify and provide quality educational opportunities for educators, students, families, and communities. As a regional educational service center, C.E.S. provides high quality, cost-effective educational and support services to Bridgeport, Darien, Easton/ Region #9, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton Connecticut school districts. For more information, visit www.ces.k12.ct.us.