The district's employees of the year for 2026-27 were formally feted at the September 14 meeting of the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee, Vanessa Cronan, a third grade teacher at Colt Andrews Elementary, receiving the highest honor.

In addition, Jean Coelho, Secretary to the Dean at Mt. Hope High School, was noted as the district's support staffer of the year. And a new award was presented for the first time, the district's volunteer of the year, that recognition being given to Colt Andrews Parent Group member Tara Souto.

Cronan was initially told of her honor at the end of the 2025-26 term in June. Cronan and Coelho were later acknowledged in front of their peers during the staff convocation event held before the start of classes in late August. Soto's award was unveiled at the committee meeting.

BWRSD Superintendent Ana Riley introduced each of the recipients to the committee, referring to the nomination submissions authored in their support. She noted a selection committee of administrators and staff reviewed the nominations and based their decisions on a set of criteria specific to the three award categories.

For teacher of the year, Riley said there were seven areas included in the standards, which closely mirror those set by the Rhode Island Department of Education for its use in determining annually who receives the state-wide award: leadership roles; is student centered; contributes to problem solving and offers innovative solutions; seeks learning opportunities for themselves; contributes to a positive school culture; collaborates with teachers, administrators and families; and has high expectations for themselves and others.

Reading from the nomination papers for Cronan, Riley said, "This teacher consistently takes on leadership roles within the school community, such as serving on the district literacy team, the principal advisory group and the school improvement team.

"This teacher's classroom environment is welcoming and supportive with flexible methods that are highly effective in helping students feel more comfortable, confident, and successful in their learning.

"Walking into this teacher's classroom, it's clear that students reflect the energy. They are joyful, engaged, and eager to learn. And this teacher holds themselves accountable to delivering high quality instruction, and continually reflects on, and refines their practice to improve student outcomes.

"This person's ability to balance high standards of genuine care helps each child build confidence and reach their full potential."

The criteria considered for the staff member of the year included being student centered; being a problem solver, offers innovative solutions; contributes to a positive school culture; has high expectation for themselves and others.

Of Coelho, Riley read, "Some of the things that folks said about this person is, they have a perfect balance between maintaining professionalism and building relationships with students, holding students accountable for their actions while providing a supportive environment. They are the primary coordinator of a milestone event.

"This person dedicated months of behind the scenes planning to make sure this event ran smoothly. Their ability to collaborate with a wide variety of staff members in the months leading up to the event, and on the day speaks volumes about their professionalism.

"And their dedication extends to students, providing a compassionate environment while maintaining high behavioral expectations for students, guiding them through reflective conversations, and rather than supervising help is offered to assist students, help students, analyze their behavior and understand consequences, to identify better future choices."

The superintendent added of Coelho, "And in case you were unsure of the event, Jean makes our graduation run as smoothly as it does."

As for the new volunteer award, Riley said the district was "super excited" to begin highlighting the contributions of those who freely give of their time. The super noted the idea for the award came from another member of the community, who said to her, "Hey, we do all these other recognitions. Why don't we do volunteer the year?" Riley saying, "We thought it was a fabulous idea." She added Assistant Superintendent Courtney Monterecy was charged with organizing the award.

From the submissions suggesting Souto as the recipient, Riley read, "There is not a Colt Andrews parent group event that this person is not at and isn't heavily involved with the planning. It's actually shocking how much she's done for Colt Andrews during her children's time here."

"This person volunteers to help orchestrate literally every single event at Colt Andrews. She never hesitates to step in to ensure every event will be as positive as possible for every child. Um, she shows empathy to all families and ensuring that all events will be accessible to all."

Saying this was her "favorite" recommendation of Souto, Riley continued reading, "She is the heartbeat of all of Colt Andrews' special events. She always goes above and beyond to make sure everyone feels seen and special."