Page 10 - Summer 2018_Final 3

Volume 39, Issue 4 EBEA Newsletter Page 10

KATHRYN DEMKO: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY KATHLEEN DESIMON: CHURCHILL SECRETARY
SPECIALIST Kathy’s journey began at Churchill 34 years ago, 1983
Kathy Demko has made a difference in the lives of the to be exact! Kathy started in the attendance office
students and staff members since she joined the with Pearl Hillman. From there, she moved into the
district in 1996. When she started working in East guidance department and took over as the main
Brunswick she was a member of the kitchen staff at secretary who became known as the “matriarch” of
Hammarskjold Middle School. The next year she the office. Anyone who walked into the counseling
worked as an instructional aide with one student and office would be greeted with a warm smile and a
after that she became a member of the IT Department. caring heart from Kathy.
For the last 10 years Kathy‘s unwavering support of all Kathy loved being here and being part of the Churchill
staff at Bowne-Munro and Warnsdorfer has helped to counseling family. She had many hats to wear and
keep technology running smoothly on a day to day took on additional responsibilities with dedication and
basis. She accomplished all of this while being happy, passion. The many years of experience Kathy brought
bubbly and thoughtful. Kathy has an eye for detail and to the counseling department were a tremendous
is very thorough and dedicated to her schools and the asset and helped to keep the department cohesive
students. She has been an invaluable part of the and running smoothly.
Information Technology team. According to her
colleagues, “we’re not saying Kathy Demko is Wonder Kathy will spend her much deserved retirement with
Woman, we’re just saying no one has ever seen her her beautiful grandchildren and close family, along
and Wonder Woman in the same room!” Kathy is a with traveling to places she’s never had the
quiet superhero: she saves the day her own way and opportunity to see. We will miss her tremendously
often without people even realizing that she was and wish her all the joy and happiness in her
involved, or that there was ever a problem. In her retirement!
many years of working at Warnsdorfer and Bowne
Munro, the demand for technology expanded and
PATRICIA DONAHUE: CHURCHILL SCIENCE
changed and so did the position. Kathy’s adaptability, TEACHER
flexibility, and technology skills advanced to meet the th
many diverse and more technical needs of the district. The 8 grade science department is about to suffer a
She has never failed to help a child figure out and major loss with the retirement of Pat Donahue. Prior
understand what was happening with their different to her teaching career, Pat worked for the state in
environmental law. When she left to go into
technology tools and was known as a great problem
solver. education, she joked that she would work twice as
hard for half as much pay . . . and work hard, she did!
She will need some time to rest and recuperate from Across her 20 years of teaching, Pat has been granted
some of the more physical demands of being an approximately $20,000 from the PTA and EBEF, the
information technology specialist. However, after that most notable grant being one that was written and
Kathy has will be sailing away on many cruises, possibly submitted by one of her classes with Pat’s
move south of New Jersey and enjoy life with her encouragement and guidance. This grant was for the
husband, Tim. She will also have more time to spend weather station on top of the North building, and the
with her two sons, Chris and Brian, and her daughter EBEF thought it was so exceptional, they tripled the
Jen. Retirement will be a great adventure for Kathy. maximum grant to fund it! She successfully coached
When asked what she would miss the most, she said, “I our Science Olympiad Team and advised the Asteroid
will miss East Brunswick because I loved the Club, helping students to identify about a dozen
atmosphere in the schools and I loved helping people.” asteroids in real telescope images. She was Middlesex
County’s Sigma Xi Science Teacher of the Year in 2008
and has the distinction of being one of the first dozen
“How lucky am I to have something people in New Jersey to hold a certificate in Gifted
that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Education. Clearly, she has had a lasting impact in the
- Winnie the Pooh classroom, as she was asked by her former students

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