Margaret G. Collopy

Margaret Collopy was a teacher's teacher. Margaret, fondly known by family as Maggie, was from North Haven and graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a BS in Elementary Education and an MS in Special Education. Margaret began her teaching career at Sliney School. She was loved and appreciated by hundreds of students who had the benefit of her skilled and caring tutelage. Margaret performed her magic in an unassuming manner day in and day out, gaining the love, respect and admiration of teachers, parents, administrators, and most of all, her students. Her classroom was a welcoming place and the single feature, which created the warm climate that prevailed, was Margaret herself.
By bringing a combination of intellect, warmth and humor to her students, Margaret truly made school fun. With most of her career spent teaching fifth graders, Margaret was equally effective teaching math, language arts, and especially her first love, social studies. During her many years at WIS, Margaret was a frequent resource for her colleagues within the social studies department. She created and shared units on Mexico and Canada, which were exemplars for others and introduced creative approaches such as organizing a quiz around quotes (some real: some made up), which students had to match with famous historical figures. Margaret was involved in a number of activities including Girls' Night Out and was the driving force behind the Fifth Grade Carnival Dance at the Intermediate School. Among the descriptions which her student included in a nomination on her behalf for a district wide recognition were: "she really tried to push you to do things: "she is always encouraging us to try new ways to do things", "she is fun, loving, kind, understanding, humorous, mostly cheery and believe it or not, she is strict enough to keep us under control". Although usually soft spoken, a Margaret story that was passed down over the years, recalled a moment when, for emphasis, she slammed her hand on a desk only to discover she had pounded (and smashed) her overhead projector. Undaunted, she continued on "and my point is..." As always, she was able to laugh at her faux pas and share it with other.
What is hard to put into words is the way Margaret Collopy connected to those with whom she came in contact. Often Margaret would serve as an informal mentor to new teachers and there is many staff members who owe their rapid development to time spent with her. It is truly remarkable to have seen the depth of relationships, which Margaret developed with her colleagues and other members of the school community. During the illness that dominated the last months of her life, she frequently expressed surprise at the show of support that she received from her many friends and colleagues. At one point she mentioned to a close friend, "I never knew so many people loved me. What have I ever done?" Those of us who knew her could easily have answered that question for her. She was merely getting back what she gave to others over so many years in the classroom.
Margaret Collopy had a rich and full life and many friends, both in and outside of school. One of Margaret's loves was boating, especially to Block Island with her husband, Jim. Margaret Collopy had a warm family life in Branford with Jim, stepchildren Tracy, Leeand, and James and enjoyed many cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as, her sister Mary Jane and her husband Dave.
By bringing a combination of intellect, warmth and humor to her students, Margaret truly made school fun. With most of her career spent teaching fifth graders, Margaret was equally effective teaching math, language arts, and especially her first love, social studies. During her many years at WIS, Margaret was a frequent resource for her colleagues within the social studies department. She created and shared units on Mexico and Canada, which were exemplars for others and introduced creative approaches such as organizing a quiz around quotes (some real: some made up), which students had to match with famous historical figures. Margaret was involved in a number of activities including Girls' Night Out and was the driving force behind the Fifth Grade Carnival Dance at the Intermediate School. Among the descriptions which her student included in a nomination on her behalf for a district wide recognition were: "she really tried to push you to do things: "she is always encouraging us to try new ways to do things", "she is fun, loving, kind, understanding, humorous, mostly cheery and believe it or not, she is strict enough to keep us under control". Although usually soft spoken, a Margaret story that was passed down over the years, recalled a moment when, for emphasis, she slammed her hand on a desk only to discover she had pounded (and smashed) her overhead projector. Undaunted, she continued on "and my point is..." As always, she was able to laugh at her faux pas and share it with other.
What is hard to put into words is the way Margaret Collopy connected to those with whom she came in contact. Often Margaret would serve as an informal mentor to new teachers and there is many staff members who owe their rapid development to time spent with her. It is truly remarkable to have seen the depth of relationships, which Margaret developed with her colleagues and other members of the school community. During the illness that dominated the last months of her life, she frequently expressed surprise at the show of support that she received from her many friends and colleagues. At one point she mentioned to a close friend, "I never knew so many people loved me. What have I ever done?" Those of us who knew her could easily have answered that question for her. She was merely getting back what she gave to others over so many years in the classroom.
Margaret Collopy had a rich and full life and many friends, both in and outside of school. One of Margaret's loves was boating, especially to Block Island with her husband, Jim. Margaret Collopy had a warm family life in Branford with Jim, stepchildren Tracy, Leeand, and James and enjoyed many cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as, her sister Mary Jane and her husband Dave.