BELMAR — The Belmar Board of Education honored three retiring teachers on Tuesday for their years of service and dedication to Belmar Elementary School.
The three teachers, who will be retiring at the end of the school year, are Luz O’Chat, Joanne Stewart and Gina Burns. All three were presented with flowers, certificates of appreciation and a gift.
Ms. Burns was unable to attend the meeting, but Superintendent Jimmy Alvarez cited her for “the love, the heart, the work ethic she brings to BES everyday. We are proud of what she does with our three and four-year-olds — our really young kids. And she really does care for them as if they were her own. She looks after all their needs to make sure they have what they need for a great shot at an education at BES.”
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Ms. O’Chat, who was present with her family, was saluted by Mr. Alvarez and Dr. Lester W. Richens, Interim Executive County Superintendent of Schools and a former staff member at BES.
Superintendent Alvarez said Ms. O’Chat has spent more time in BES than any other person in the history of the school. “She serves as a teacher, an advocate, a translator, a community member, a mom and a student here at BES throughout her lifetime,” he said. “She is entrusted to help students take their first steps into foreign language and helps them create new opportunities with every day that goes by and every chance she has a chance to work with them.”
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