Suzanne Serviss
"I would like to recommend Suzanne Serviss as a nominee for the Branford Education Hall of Fame. As a high school social worker for 28 years, Suzanne made a difference in the lives of both students and colleagues and the overall Branford community.
As a social worker, Suzanne is kind, compassionate and supportive. She also knew the importance of tying students, staff, and community together. These qualities and values can be seen through all of her years of service and are evident in her numerous accomplishments over her career in the Branford Public Schools system.
Early on in her career, she created a program called peer connectors. Back in the early 1990's, several low-income apartments were built on Ivy Street in Branford. Suzanne worked with community members and organized a group of peer connectors to play games, create art projects, and/or help with homework with some of the younger students living there. Along with her peer connectors, she was also instrumental in helping with the motivation program that is run through Branford counseling center. Both peer connectors and the motivational program are still running.
When she first worked at Branford High School, she also held another job as an in home care social worker. One of her patients who lived in Branford was dying of ALS. He asked for Suzanne's help in making a video for his then 2- and 7-year-old children. Suzanne reached out to the high school's video production teacher and together they gathered several interested students and created this video. Those children both eventually came through BHS. In fact one was heavily involved in the school's choir trips and Suzanne and her would often share special moments of remembrance.
Suzanne was also instrumental in assisting many other students and staff on those choir field trips, including the year the entire contingent was stuck in Europe because a volcano in Iceland disrupted flight patterns across the world. During this ordeal, she exhibited strong leadership capabilities and was a trusted and valued chaperone to fellow Hall of Fame teacher, Cathyann Roding. She was always comforting to those feeling anxious from being in a foreign country, or those undergoing typical teenage angst like relationship issues, or those students simply experiencing home sickness. She was a reliable, safe and comforting person that both staff and students could count on.
Those qualities were also seen when BHS suffered the tragic suicide of a high school junior. Suzanne demonstrated leadership among the staff and was instrumental in having activities in place and providing safe places for students to go with their overwhelming grief in the days following the ordeal. She also was supportive of colleagues struggling with their own grief. Suzanne's great empathy and initiative further came into play when an 8th grade WIS student passed away. Suzanne knew how difficult it would be for that friend group the following year as they entered BHS, so she formed a relationship with those students and supported them all four years as they grieved.
Another tragedy that impacted the Branford school community was the Columbine shooting. Suzanne again showed her compassion and strength. During that time, she was a constant source of support and guidance to both students and her colleagues. She also demonstrated and modeled empathy by providing the students and faculty at Branford High School with an outlet to express their grief and reach out to those directly impacted by the tragedy. She provided a large roll of paper and encouraged all BHS students and faculty to sign it with messages of hope and love. She then took that paper and mailed it to Columbine High School. It is unfortunate that years later, in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School tragedy that Suzanne again stepped up and helped spearhead a similar effort in guiding the BHS community to express feelings of support and compassion with those in Newtown. It underscores just how indispensable and valuable that professionals like Suzanne are in this day and age.
In addition to her work with students, Suzanne also strongly supported colleagues with their own personal and professional struggles. She was a ready listening ear, who was not only a safe place to talk things out, but someone willing to show her support and be a teacher's strongest advocate when it was needed. She also organized meetings with all shoreline school social workers and believed that all of our voices should be heard in education.
Suzanne is an outstanding social worker and wholly deserving of recognition by the Branford Education Hall of Fame. It is without reservation that I nominate Suzanne Serviss for the Branford Education Hall of Fame.
As a social worker, Suzanne is kind, compassionate and supportive. She also knew the importance of tying students, staff, and community together. These qualities and values can be seen through all of her years of service and are evident in her numerous accomplishments over her career in the Branford Public Schools system.
Early on in her career, she created a program called peer connectors. Back in the early 1990's, several low-income apartments were built on Ivy Street in Branford. Suzanne worked with community members and organized a group of peer connectors to play games, create art projects, and/or help with homework with some of the younger students living there. Along with her peer connectors, she was also instrumental in helping with the motivation program that is run through Branford counseling center. Both peer connectors and the motivational program are still running.
When she first worked at Branford High School, she also held another job as an in home care social worker. One of her patients who lived in Branford was dying of ALS. He asked for Suzanne's help in making a video for his then 2- and 7-year-old children. Suzanne reached out to the high school's video production teacher and together they gathered several interested students and created this video. Those children both eventually came through BHS. In fact one was heavily involved in the school's choir trips and Suzanne and her would often share special moments of remembrance.
Suzanne was also instrumental in assisting many other students and staff on those choir field trips, including the year the entire contingent was stuck in Europe because a volcano in Iceland disrupted flight patterns across the world. During this ordeal, she exhibited strong leadership capabilities and was a trusted and valued chaperone to fellow Hall of Fame teacher, Cathyann Roding. She was always comforting to those feeling anxious from being in a foreign country, or those undergoing typical teenage angst like relationship issues, or those students simply experiencing home sickness. She was a reliable, safe and comforting person that both staff and students could count on.
Those qualities were also seen when BHS suffered the tragic suicide of a high school junior. Suzanne demonstrated leadership among the staff and was instrumental in having activities in place and providing safe places for students to go with their overwhelming grief in the days following the ordeal. She also was supportive of colleagues struggling with their own grief. Suzanne's great empathy and initiative further came into play when an 8th grade WIS student passed away. Suzanne knew how difficult it would be for that friend group the following year as they entered BHS, so she formed a relationship with those students and supported them all four years as they grieved.
Another tragedy that impacted the Branford school community was the Columbine shooting. Suzanne again showed her compassion and strength. During that time, she was a constant source of support and guidance to both students and her colleagues. She also demonstrated and modeled empathy by providing the students and faculty at Branford High School with an outlet to express their grief and reach out to those directly impacted by the tragedy. She provided a large roll of paper and encouraged all BHS students and faculty to sign it with messages of hope and love. She then took that paper and mailed it to Columbine High School. It is unfortunate that years later, in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School tragedy that Suzanne again stepped up and helped spearhead a similar effort in guiding the BHS community to express feelings of support and compassion with those in Newtown. It underscores just how indispensable and valuable that professionals like Suzanne are in this day and age.
In addition to her work with students, Suzanne also strongly supported colleagues with their own personal and professional struggles. She was a ready listening ear, who was not only a safe place to talk things out, but someone willing to show her support and be a teacher's strongest advocate when it was needed. She also organized meetings with all shoreline school social workers and believed that all of our voices should be heard in education.
Suzanne is an outstanding social worker and wholly deserving of recognition by the Branford Education Hall of Fame. It is without reservation that I nominate Suzanne Serviss for the Branford Education Hall of Fame.
I had the pleasure of working with Suzanne for almost 20 years at BHS - Branford High School. We worked together along with many others to start the SAM – Student Assistance Model - team first at just the high school and then the program became a K-12 program. Suzanne was always able to work with the many different personalities not only on the team but somehow was able to work with even the most difficult parents and students. She was able to "disarm" them of their anger with her soft easy going and gentle nature.
She was a very skilled social worker who our staff always went to for advice and counsel. She also started our Peer Connections program where she trained students to be helpful with our younger students and to work as "ambassadors" of goodness and kindness in the school.
Whenever she said she would follow through on something or do something she DID it and did it well.
Suzanne is certainly deserving of this award as she worked for 30 years at BHS and was always kind and professional. I don't know anyone that would have a negative word to say about her, she is, "simply the best."
She was a very skilled social worker who our staff always went to for advice and counsel. She also started our Peer Connections program where she trained students to be helpful with our younger students and to work as "ambassadors" of goodness and kindness in the school.
Whenever she said she would follow through on something or do something she DID it and did it well.
Suzanne is certainly deserving of this award as she worked for 30 years at BHS and was always kind and professional. I don't know anyone that would have a negative word to say about her, she is, "simply the best."