Southington BoE Remembers 5 Ex-School Employees Who Died

SOUTHINGTON, CT — The Southington Board of Education honored five former school district employees who died over the summer during its Sept. 10 meeting.

Board members observed a moment of silence for Donna Cello, Don Demers, Mary Ann McDonald, Greg Clark and Ellen McCready Milhalko, all of whom had worked for Southington Public Schools.

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The five former employees remembered were:

• Donna Cello, who died July 18. Cello worked as a paraeducator from September 1996 until retiring in June 2018.
• Don Demers, who died July 26. Demers taught mathematics at DePaolo Middle School from September 1969 until retiring in July 2001. During his tenure, he also served multiple terms as president of the Southington Education Association.
• Mary Ann McDonald, who died Aug. 14. McDonald served as the district's language arts coordinator from April 2002 until retiring in June 2007.
• Greg Clark, who died Aug. 17. Clark worked as a long-term substitute teacher at DePaolo Middle School from January to April 2017. He returned to the district in August 2018 as a science teacher at Kennedy Middle School and remained there until resigning in December 2023.
• Ellen McCready Milhalko, who died Aug. 25. McCready Milhalko worked for the Southington Board of Education during the 1970s, most recently as a secretary at Hatton Elementary School.

Board Chairman Zaya Oshana led the moment of silence during the board's meeting at the John Weichsel Municipal Center.

For the minutes of the Sept. 10 Southington Board of Education meeting, click on this link.