Bridgewater Alumni Association Award Winners 2018

Dr. George A. Weygand, '53, G'56 Award for Outstanding Service to the Bridgewater Alumni Association

Gloria Stanton, ’74, G’00
Former Principal in the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District
Founding member of the Afro-American Alumni Association
Named Teacher of the Year by the Brockton African-American Citizens Organization
Former Professor of Education at Cambridge College

Was Presented by:  Jeanne Oliver-Foster, ’77. Founding President of the Afro-American Alumni Association. Recipient of the Afro-American Alumni Association Award

Professional highlights:

Gloria Stanton serves as an Education Consultant.  She works to provide free services for families who cannot afford to pay but are in need of assistance in the various public-school districts.

Ms. Stanton holds a B.S. in Education, a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Education Leadership, all from Bridgewater State University.

Ms. Stanton was employed by the Bridgewater Raynham Regional School District for 34 years. In this capacity, she served as an elementary teacher and as a curriculum coordinator for grades K-8.  She also served as a substitute Principal at the Joseph LaLiberte Middle School, Principal at the McElwain Elementary School, Assistant Principal at the Bridgewater (Now Mitchell) Elementary School, and as Principal of the Burnell Campus Elementary School at Bridgewater State College.  Ms. Stanton has the distinction of being the only person of color as principal of the Burnell Campus School. 

On the college level, Ms. Stanton served as Adjunct Professor for Bridgewater State College and Professor of Education at Cambridge College for 25 years.  While at Cambridge College, she served as Program Chair for Early Childhood, Elementary, and Literacy programs.

Ms. Stanton is a Horace Mann grant recipient, and a Founding Member of the Afro-American Alumni Association. The Association’s mission is to encourage, inspire, enlighten, empower, and serve as advocates for students of African descent who attend BSU.  She was also recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Brockton African American Citizens Organization.

Dr. Catherine Comeau Award for Professional Achievement

Dawn Henderson, ’80
Retired Associate Director of Athletics and Head Women’s Basketball Coach for the College of New Jersey
“Most successful coach in program history” with an overall career mark of 32^nd all-time at the Division III level

Was Presented by:  Donna Medeiros, ’86, G’01, G’05. President, Bridgewater Physical Education Alumni Association

Professional highlights: 

Dawn is a 1980 graduate of Bridgewater State University with a degree in Health and Physical Education.  She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with her Master of Education in 1985.  In 2005 Dawn attended The Institute for Administrative Advancement offered by NACWAA.

Dawn retired from The College of New Jersey in July of 2017 after having spent 24 years as an Associate Director of Athletics and the Head Women’s Basketball Coach.

Considered a tremendous teacher of the game, Dawn is well-respected in basketball circles and has been recognized with a long list of honors. She was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, 1999, 2005, 2008 and in 2014, along with being selected NJAC co-Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2011. Additional coaching honors include being tabbed 2001 WBCA District III Regional Coach of the Year and 2008 Russell Athletic/WBCA Region 3 Coach of the Year.

Dawn is the most successful coach in TCNJ program history. She compiled 482 wins with the Lions over 24 seasons. During her tenure at TCNJ, Henderson amassed seven, 20-win seasons, 4 NJAC Championships and advanced to nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

The crown jewel of Henderson’s career came during the 2008-09 season. TCNJ registered a record 28 wins and advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four. They placed third overall in the NCAA tournament and Henderson was a finalist for the 2008-09 WBCA National Coach of the Year. One of her standout players from that team, senior Hillary Klimowicz, was named 2009 State Farms-WBCA National Division III Player of the Year. It marked the first time in program history that a Lions’ player received that distinguished honor.

Dr. Adrian Rondileau Award for Professional Achievement & Community Service

Thomas C. Hoye Jr., ’92
Mayor of Taunton

Was Presented by: Greg DeMelo, G’11, Director, Travel Services, Bridgewater State University

Professional highlights: 

Taunton Mayor Thomas C. Hoye, Jr. is a life-long resident of Taunton, and began serving as the city’s mayor in January of 2012.  He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bridgewater State University in 1992, and a Master’s of Education from Fitchburg State University.

After college, Mayor Hoye returned to Taunton where he worked in the Morton Hospital Sports Medicine Program as a Certified Athletic Trainer.  He was the first hire of the program and was employed there for 18 years until beginning his tenure as Mayor. He also taught in the Taunton Public Schools for 12 years until his election.

Mayor Hoye is heavily involved the Taunton community. He has coached softball, baseball, basketball and soccer, has served on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Taunton, the Taunton Industrial Theatre, and as a member of the Taunton Municipal Council. He is also the co-owner of Taunton’s Tom and Jimmy’s Ice Cream and Del’s Lemonade.

In response to the Opiate Crisis gripping the Nation and the Region, Mayor Hoye initiated the 100+-member Taunton Opiate Task force in 2014. He was later appointed to the Governors Opiate Task Force and to the Advisory Board of Attorney General Healy’s Project Here, which provides early education in our Commonwealth’s Schools.

Mayor Hoye has worked extremely hard with Community Stakeholders, such as the Taunton Development Corporation, to make the Myles Standish Industrial Park the finest in New England. The park currently boasts over 8500 jobs.  He has taken great pride in helping revitalize the Historic Downtown Taunton, which is now the home to several new restaurants and businesses.  He initiated the Downtown Rent Rebate program which has aided local development.  Now it is being modeled by other cities and towns as part of Governor Baker’s economic development package. 

Mayor Hoye and his team have worked hard at enhancing and adding community events.  This has improved civic pride and drawn people to Taunton.  Mayor Hoye has improved the parks and playgrounds throughout Taunton and helped make them a place that families can enjoy.  He has also taken pride in improving the infrastructure in Taunton. His sound financial judgment has improved Taunton’s Bond rating, making the City much more attractive to investors.  He has worked hard to add police officers, firefighters and teachers to enhance those departments.  Taunton is currently in the process of building a new elementary school and City Hall.

Tom Hoye is a devoted husband and loving father of three.  His wife, Stephanie (BSU 96), is an Elementary School Principal. Together they have three children: Sophia (age 13), Tommy (age 11), and Lilah (age 8).

Martha D. Jones, '64, Award For Outstanding Dedication to Students

Justin McCauley, G’08
Associate Director, Residence Life and Housing, Bridgewater State University

Was Presented by: Shelly Keniston, Associate Director of Housing, Bridgewater State University

Professional highlights:

Justin McCauley currently serves Bridgewater State University (BSU) as the Associate Director of Residence Life, and has educated students as a student affairs professional for over eighteen years. He came to BSU in 2003 to serve as a resident director in the Office of Residence Life & Housing. At the same time, Mr. McCauley was pursuing a master’s degree in the Counselor Education – Student Affairs program. Today, he is an Adjunct Professor in the same program from which he graduated. Justin met Christina, his wife of ten years, while they were both studying Counselor Education program.

Mr. McCauley aims to replicate the support he received from educators and mentors at BSU for his own students at BSU.  In 2008, he was able to serve as one of the founding creators of BSU’s Residential Learning Communities. In 2004, he helped to develop LEADS, the successful leadership development initiative for first year resident students.  Both programs continue to educate and support resident students to this day.

Mr. McCauley has also invested his time and effort into BSU students as a Men’s Leadership Retreat and Men’s Success Dinner mentor.  In addition, he served as an advisor to student-run organizations like the Residence Hall Association (RHA), and BSU’s weekly student newspaper, “The Comment.” This dedication has twice earned Mr. McCauley the distinction of “BSU’s Advisor of the Year.”

Justin McCauley loves BSU, and believes that serving its students is easy because he respects their perseverance and hard work. Working with students in the residence halls has been the highlight of his time at BSU. Whether it is the committed Resident Assistants, graduate assistants, RLC programming assistants or the students that find their way into his office, Justin has gained so much from those interactions and relationships.  He credits the energy that has powered his longevity to his great student leaders and co-workers in Residence Life and Housing and Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

Dr. Marilyn White Barry, '58, Graduate Alumni Award

Patricia Fry, G’99
Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, Plymouth Public Schools

Was Presented by: Paul Jean, ’83. Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Bridgewater State University

Professional highlights: 

Ms. Patricia Fry currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Human Resources for the Plymouth Public Schools in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Ms. Fry received her undergraduate degree from Stonehill College and a Master’s degree in educational leadership from Bridgewater State University in 1999.  She has completed all coursework toward a PhD at Lesley University and is working on her dissertation.  She served as a Spanish teacher then as an Assistant Principal at Barnstable High School in Hyannis, MA; a High School Principal at both Seekonk High School in Seekonk, MA and at Plymouth South High School in Plymouth, MA. She remained in that role until 2016 when she assumed the role of Assistant Superintendent for Plymouth Public Schools. 

Among her distinctions, Ms. Fry was selected as Massachusetts High School Principal of the Year, and selected as one of three finalists for National Principal of the Year, both in 2015.  She was honored at a principal’s institute in Washington D.C. where she shared her experiences and expertise with principals throughout the country.  As a result of this recognition, she was able to inform educational conversations at the United States Department of Education. 

Ms. Fry has been lauded by peers, students, community members and her superiors for her influence on school culture, student achievement and shared leadership. In their 2014 Accreditation Report, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) commended Ms. Fry and the staff of Plymouth South for its research-based examination of basic core values, beliefs and learning expectations.  The result of their collaborative efforts has led to a significant shift in student behavior and increased student enrollment in more rigorous coursework. 

She is a popular presenter at National Educational conferences, having spoken in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida, and California on school personalization efforts and school culture. She is also an adjunct professor in the graduate program at Curry College. Ms. Fry is married to Scott Fry, and they have a seven-year old son, Cooper.

Sarah A. Lewis Distinguished Afro-American Alumni Associated Award

Nigel Smith, ’01
Founding Member of Men Integrated in Brotherhood (MIB)
Educator, Boston Public Schools

Was Presented by:  Michael Henry, ’92. Immediate Past President, Afro-American Alumni Association

Professional highlights:

Born to parents from Jamaica, Nigel Smith found himself as a native of Boston with deep ties to a foreign land. Whenever he had the opportunity to visit his ancestral island, he felt an immediate connection to this nation of people who look like him. Being a black male student in Boston Public Schools provided Mr. Smith with a journey of struggle to find teachers and administration with whom he felt most comfortable. When Mr. Smith did have a teacher or administrator of color, he inherently felt empowered. That is why Mr. Smith decided to become a teacher and mentor for all students.

After his first year at Bridgewater State University (BSU), many of his black, Latino and other friends of color were no longer students of the institution. After further research, Mr. Smith found statistics indicated that black and Latino males drop out of school at a disproportionate rate compared to their female and Caucasian classmates. The disparity between the graduation success rate of men of color and the white population of males became clear.

These revelations lead Mr. Smith to consider that there was a void of support from historically black fraternities and sororities at BSU. After researching other black fraternal chapters in the surrounding areas, Mr. Smith re-established an Iota Phi Theta chapter at BSU that previously existed. Unfortunately, during his first 2 years at BSU, Mr. Smith found that the numbers of men of color were limited, so it became challenging to build a large group of pledges with the grade point average required.

Mr. Smith then decided to help men of color to improve their grades as well as to increase the social supports available for black and Latino males at the university. In 1997, Mr. Smith worked with other concerned college men and alumni of color to establish a program called “Men Integrated into Brotherhood (MIB)”. The credo of the organization is, “Building a strong foundation, for future generations, through brotherhood and education.” MIB still provides a safe and valuable place for men of color at Bridgewater State University.

Mr. Smith continues to create a way for young men of color to bond, communicate and thrive in his work today.   Mr. Smith served as a physical education teacher at Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School.  In this capacity he participated in a program created by Boston Public School’s Office of the Achievement Gap called “The 10 Boys Initiative.” He has served as the coordinator for this program for both the Edison K-8  and the Mozart Elementary Schools, meeting weekly with the boys in the program. The program focuses on social emotion learning, excellence, leadership and academics.

As a result of “The 10 Boys Initiative”, students have developed: 1- a sincere desire to work harder and become community leaders; 2- a willingness to share emotional concerns regarding their home and Boston community life; and 3-a new confidence in their ability to attend a higher education institution.

Nicholas P. Tillinghast Award for Achievement in the Field of Education

William Burkhead, G’09
Principal of Monomoy Regional High School 
High School Principal of the Year by the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association

Was Presented by: Donald Smith, ’59, G’62

Professional highlights: 

William Burkhead serves as Principal of Monomoy Regional High School serving the towns of Chatham and Harwich. Prior, he served a Principal of Normandin Middle School in New Bedford and as Director of Athletics and Assistant Principal at Plymouth North High School in Plymouth.

After graduating from Springfield College, Mr.  Burkhead received a master’s degree in Advanced Graduate Studies from Bridgewater State University in 2009. Today, Mr. Burkhead remains committed to Bridgewater, teaching graduate level courses in the department of secondary education and professional programs to aspiring administrators.

Mr. Burkhead has been lauded by peers, students, community members and his superiors since he was appointed on July 1, 2014 to the position of principal of the newly created Monomoy Regional High School. His task was to “bring two unique rival school cultures and communities together” with the hope “of creating a cohesive and thriving learning environment.” He established that this new high school would become a “Home Away from Home” for the most important of stakeholders: its 620+ students.  Together, their core values reflected a culture of excellence.

Under Mr. Burkhead’s leadership, and in less than four years, Monomoy Regional High School established a community internship program, a challenging Global Studies degree program, a visionary flex block schedule, and an academic center for struggling learners.  The impact on learning has been significant, as evidenced by graduation rates increasing by 11.5 % since 2014. MCAS Math “Very High” growth rates have steadily increased; ELA “Very High” growth has gone up 12%; the number of students enrolled in AP classes has doubled; and finally, as a member of the Cape’s “all school choice” program, Monomoy’s school choice numbers increased significantly.

This year, the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association (MSAA) selected Mr. Burkhead as the “High School Principal of the Year” This program annually recognizes high school principals who demonstrate exemplary skills in instructional leadership, supporting a safe learning environment and fostering a collaborative culture of decision making among all members of the school community.   Mr. Burkhead resides in Plymouth with his wife Jamie and their two children Samantha and Jacob and pug Pip.