South River schools honor teachers and education service professionals at board meeting

South River — At the South River Board of Education meeting, principals from across the district recognized teachers and educational service professionals for their contributions to students.

"Her patience, creativity, and loving guidance help shape little hearts and minds at the very start of their learning journey," Early Learning Center and Primary School Principal Heather Lieberman said as she presented the Early Learning Center Teacher of the Year award to Sarah Augustine and honored Tanya Dominguez as the education service professional of the year.

Principal Christian Valentin Gladden introduced South River Elementary's Teacher of the Year, Stacy Yanchuk, and praised her inclusive, data‑driven instruction and classroom environment that supports multilingual learners and students with disabilities. "She doesn't have formal seating in there. There's like bounce seating, and everyone just loves her classroom," Gladden said.

Middle‑school and high‑school recognitions followed: the middle school honored Laurie Horney (teacher of the year) and Lori Webber (educational services professional of the year) for instructional innovation and student support; South River High School named Nancy Roque its teacher of the year and Amanda Montemerno its educational services professional of the year, noting long service and counseling leadership.

Why it matters: These recognitions highlight staff retention and district programs that support inclusive instruction, counseling and student supports such as Ram Runway, a clothing access program expanded to younger grades.

What next: The board congratulated the honorees and invited them to accept recognition; principals and board members encouraged continued community support of student‑facing programs.