Local 222 Member Georgina Cabrera Named Connecticut Paraprofessional of the Year

December 12, 2013

Georgina Cabrera, a member of UE Local 222, has been named Connecticut Paraprofessional of the Year.  On November 14 she became the first school paraprofessional to receive the renamed Anne Marie Murphy Paraprofessional of the Year Award.

Last March the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the School Paraprofessional Advisory Council renamed the Connecticut Paraeducator of the Year Award to honor the memory of Anne Marie Murphy, a special education paraprofessional who was killed in the December 14, 2012 mass shooting Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Georgina is a bilingual paraprofessional in the Wallingford schools and a member of Sub-local 75 of Local 222.  As the chair of the Para Advisory Council, Iris White, put it, Georgina, “… brings boundless energy and enthusiasm to her job daily helping her students navigate English as their second language,” White continued,  “Georgina understands well the difficulties of learning English because came to this country from Chile several years ago with little knowledge of English.   Gina is deeply committed to the success of her learners. She always makes decisions in the best interest of children.  Simply stated, Gina lights up a room and children are drawn to her.”  

As her principal Robert Arciero wrote in recommending her for the award, “Gina creates lessons for the Spanish speakers that are focused and fun. She is positive and encouraging, and she instills a love of and excitement for learning in each one.”  She is a master at getting parents involved in the education of their little ones - despite the challenge that both this population’s parents and their children face. She has a way of drawing non-native speakers of English into the school community and is a huge lever in making all families feel welcome and a part of the school.  Her enthusiasm for teaching and learning doesn’t stop at the school but extends to the community at-large. She is a religion teacher in her church, an active presenter for the Spanish Community of Wallingford, and can be found several days a week at the local library facilitating the grant-funded Homework Club.

The interviewing committee knew when she walked into the room for her interview that she was everything that the application paperwork said she was.  She lit up the room and they were aware that she would represent all paraprofessionals in Connecticut well.  As her principal said, “her fifteen minutes in the spotlight will shed light on the possibilities for all paras to strive towards greatness in the profession.”

Annie MacDonald is a UE field organizer working with UE Local 222 and a former paraprofessional. She is also a member of the Connecticut School Paraprofessional Advisory Council.

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