June 2008

LMEA Annual Spring Banquet - A Night of Tributes

The annual LMEA Spring banquet was held on May 29 at the Evivva Restaurant in Ardmore.  The event culminates the school year and affords members the opportunity to pay tribute to future retirees and socialize with former members who have retired in recent years.  The affair was a resounding success with much of the credit going to Lisa McDevitt, Aimee Avellino, and Arlene Flicker for their planning and preparation which made the evening run smoothly.  Special awards were given to honor service and dedication to the LMEA and public education.  Anne Pass received the Zuccaro-Small Award for a lifetime of service to the Association.  Anne served in many capacities for the LMEA over the years including vice president, elected delegate, and currently as PACE chair.  Monica Mixon received the Renee Mandell Award for leadership for her work in enhancing the minority affairs program and her selection to an NEA program for future leaders.  The LMEA was delighted to award this year’s Friend of Education Award to Nort Seaman for his 45 years in public education.  Nort will be retiring (again) this year after serving a year as interim principal at Lower Merion HS.  For most of his years in the district Nort worked at Harriton, becoming assistant principal there in 1982 and principal in 1990.  After his initial retirement in 1997 Nort went on to serve as interim principal or assistant principal in several schools in the area including Gladwyne ES and a return to Harriton in 2005.  Nort Seaman will forever be remembered in this district as a man of uncommon humility, strong character, compassion for others, an ability to reach kids of all ages and types, and of course, his sense of humor.  The LMEA thanks Nort Seaman and wishes him and wife Barbara all the best in the years to come.

LMEA Election Returns

LMEA Elections for SY 2008-2009 were held on May 20 with the following results:

Officers:                                                                      Committees:

President……….…..Chris SantaMaria                      CNC Elementary….Joanne Cook

1st Vice President….Arlene Flicker                           CNC Middle………Tim Mohan

Support Vice Pres….Victor Fedeli                             CNC Senior……….Glenn Rosazza

Professional VP……Aimee Avellino                         CNC Inst. Asst……Catherine Muhammad

Professional Secy….Mike Stettner                            CNC Clerical……..Joanne Souzzi

Support Secy………Lisa McDevitt                             CNC Transp………Linda Musi-Gaughan

Treasurer…………..Darlene Mandarino                   PR&R Elementary…Joe Mudd

                                                                                          PR&R Middle…….Gary Nieberle

                                                                                          PR&R Senior……...Pete Dawson

                                                                                          PR&R Transp……..Frank Toti

Congratulations to all those elected.

A Few Important LMEA Dates to Remember

 
June 17-19………...……..LMEA Peer Mediation Workshop at Penn Wynne ES

July 1-6…………………..NEA Representative Assembly

July 20-24………………..PSEA Gettysburg Summer Leadership Conference

A Special Thank You from Your President

In this last edition of the AppleCore I would like to take a few lines to thank all of those who have made my first year as LMEA president not only manageable but rewarding.  The LMEA relies on its elected leaders to guide the organization from day-to-day and in that endeavor I have been surrounded by a truly dedicated group with a wealth of experience I tap into all the time.  Vic, Arlene, Darlene, Lisa, Mike, and Aimee deserve thanks for their continuing guidance and support.  Our CNC co-chairs Russ Loue and Larry Giaquinto have much work ahead of them but they have also done a great job this year handling job descriptions and new memorandums.  Pete Dawson and Vic Fedeli kept track of our grievances and made sure that the PR&R Committee fought hard for the rights of our members.  Debbie Williams made sure that our members received a basket or bouquet when they needed it most, and Dan DiBono, Nick Feliciani, and Dave Grumbine helped make sure the office ran smoothly despite taking on a rookie leader in September.  And special thanks go to our LMEA building reps.  Theirs is often a thankless job being the face (eyes, ears, voice) of the LMEA in each of our buildings and departments.  They gave hours of their time, often after work and in the evenings, to help represent more than 1250 members in this diverse organization.  And, finally, thank you for showing your faith in me by electing me for another term as your president.  It is quite an honor to serve you, and I look forward to what we can achieve next year.

Have a GREAT Summer!!