Teacher Known for Student Recognition Receives Her Own Award: 2019 Providence Teacher of the Year
Elizabeth Amadio honored in surprise ceremony at Gilbert Stuart Middle School
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A teacher known for her work in recognizing her students’ accomplishments received her own award today when, in a surprise announcement, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein and PPSD Chief Academic Officer Tom Flanagan joined Gilbert Stuart Middle School students, teachers and community members to name sixth grade teacher Elizabeth Amadio the 2019 Providence Public School District Teacher of the Year.
“Teachers like Ms. Amadio are part of what makes Providence public schools so exceptional,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. “We launched an initiative to make Providence a ‘city of kindness’ because simply being kind and empathizing with each other brings us closer, which in turn helps us accomplish more together. Ms. Amadio embodies this selfless work and the lessons she teaches her students remain with them for life. “
Ms. Amadio has taught at Gilbert Stuart Middle School (GSMS) for nearly 18 years and has embraced the school’s social emotional learning curriculum, making it her personal mission to continuously improve school culture. She is described by colleagues as one of the hardest working, most compassionate and exceptional teachers with whom they have worked, and her principal Scott Sutherland notes that “her strength lies in the areas of instructional improvement and effective school culture, two of the most important areas necessary for school transformation.” Ms. Amadio is known for organizing events that celebrate GSMS students, from ice cream socials to luau-themed dances, and serves as the coordinator of the school’s Alan Shawn Feinstein Good Deeds program, helping to organize canned good drives and Thanksgiving donations for families in need.
“I do not do things at this school for attention; I do it for intention,” said Ms. Amadio, who went on to tell her students in the audience: “You don’t have to get an ‘A’ in my class, I just want you to do the best you can do. I want you to be the best you can possibly be. Gilbert Stuart is my second family and you all teach me new things every day.”
Ms. Amadio also leads GSMS’s Positive Behavioral Intervention Support team, which works to embed Social Emotional Learning into advisory and core instruction, and serves as editor of the school newspaper and yearbook. As Chair of GSMS’s school attendance team, Ms. Amadio has helped reduce the school’s chronic absenteeism rate and increase day-to-day school attendance. Students report that they don’t want to miss school because they are so excited about activities Ms. Amadio plans for her classes. Her efforts to positively impact the school culture and promote social emotional learning have also contributed to a significant reduction in the school’s suspension rate.
Principal Scott Sutherland also noted, “In my 20 years as an administrator in the City of Providence, I have worked with many teachers and with many administrators. Elizabeth Amadio is at the top of the list of exceptional teachers with whom I have worked. She is a tireless advocate for students, teachers, administrators, families and the Providence school community. She embodies all that is excellent about education.”