Bedminster Teachers Honored Upon Retirement

Four teachers were honored for their retirement during Thursday’s Bedminster Township Board of Education meeting, including two who had been named the district’s teachers of the year in previous terms.

Retiring are Patricia Kowalski, a disabilities teacher who started at Bedminster Township School in 1975 and was teacher of the year for the 1998-1999 school year; Donna Lykes, a kindergarten teacher who started in Bedminster in 1993 and was teacher of the year in the 2002-03 school year; Ronnie Marell, a learning disabilities teacher who started in Bedminster in 1998 but has been a teacher for 19 years; and Julianne Straccia, a middle school social studies teacher who began in Bedminster in 1998 and has been a teacher for 34 years.

Also honored were technology teacher James Puglia and fourth-grade teachers Melissa Mowbray, James Roth and Dyana Swan for placing in the statewide Celebrate New Jersey program where fourth-grade students undertake projects spotlighting New Jersey.

Gifted and Talented teacher Patricia Pillon was recognized for the showing of her students in a statewide stock market game. Her students started in October with a $100,000 nest egg and had increased it to $212,000 by the end of April.