Queen of Peace Heart of the School Awarded to Ms. Gardas

Each year at the Queen of Peace Founders Day Mass a special award is given out to a dedicated faculty or staff member who consistently demonstrates the Dominican values each day in their interactions with parents, students, faculty and staff. This year Ms. Terry Gardas is the distinguished recipient.

Ms. Gardas has been a staff member at Queen of Peace for 22 years. She has served the Peace community in many roles including library aide, attendance officer, the assistant in the Development department and most recently as the administrative assistance to the Principal.

Ms. Gardas is often one of the first people you will meet upon entering Queen of Peace. She is a constant support to students, parents, faculty and staff and is truly the embodiment of all things Peace. She has been described by her colleagues as the “heart and soul of the day to day operations of the school”.

“ I would be lost without her,” said Hedi Belkaoui, principal at Queen of Peace. “Terry is the reason anything happens. Besides being an expert at organization, she has a quiet spirit, a steadfast commitment to the Dominican values and a continual willingness to help wherever needed.”

Ms. Gardas could not believe she was being honored when she heard her name announced as the recipient of this year’s award. She has loved working at Peace and said “without a doubt my favorite part of Peace is getting to know the students. There are quite a few students, whom I will never forget and I hope that there are some students who still remember me. Winning this award is a memory that I will always cherish.”