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COMMUNICATING

SUMMER 2018 CEA ADVISOR 7

MEET MICHELE RIDOLFI O’NEILL, CEA EDUCATIONAL ISSUES SPECIALIST

Members in search of professional development or help with teacher certification need look no further than CEA Educational Issues Specialist Michele O’Neill. O’Neill, who celebrated 10 years with CEA this year, is a former classroom teacher, former Montville Education Association vice president and president, and one-time member of CEA’s Board of Directors. “Once I was bitten by the union bug, advocacy became my passion,” she says. “I joined CEA’s staff in 2008, as a UniServ Rep in Torrington.” In addition to developing and presenting workshops, assisting with teacher certification issues, and working with pre-service educators through the CEA Student Program, O’Neill monitors statewide legislative committees and the State Board of Education, testifies for pro- public education policy and legislation, and acts as staff liaison to the Connecticut Advisory Council for Teacher Professional Standards (CACTPS) and the DiGiovanni Scholarship Fund. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to work with teachers and college students looking to enter the profession,” she says. “I’m passionate about advocating for them and helping them improve their practice. One of my proudest moments was in 2013, when our Student Program was recognized as the Outstanding State Affiliate by

NEA. It’s always very gratifying to be recognized professionally. That same year, I was named Outstanding State Student Organizer—an award that was totally unexpected, because our CEA Student Program members nominated me without my knowledge!” Trick or treat No stranger to the unexpected, O’Neill received one of the biggest surprises of her life while she was a classroom teacher. “I was teaching in Montville, where I had previously worked as a paraprofessional and a substitute teacher. At the time, I was at Tyl Middle School, where I had met my future husband, Casey, when he spoke at our school’s Career Day. Two years after we met, we got engaged in my classroom, in front of all my seventh-graders. Everyone had gathered in my room, supposedly to broadcast a ‘Happy Halloween’ message for a local radio station. Parents were listening in from home and work. Unbeknownst to me, Casey secretly planned to propose over the airwaves the entire time. My former students from that year still message me from time to time reminiscing about that day.” Having spent time as a substitute teacher, says O’Neill, gave her an opportunity to teach “virtually every grade and subject before getting my own classroom—which really helped prepare me for the day-to-day work of being a teacher.” She adds, “Because teachers often wear many hats, over the years I also served as a club advisor for three after-school clubs, a summer school teacher and then head teacher, a team leader for my instructional team, an instructor for the Institute for Future Teachers (ECSU), and an instructor and then the director of the Summer Institute for Future Teachers at ECSU. I also taught a couple of evening courses as an adjunct professor at ECSU.” O’Neill graduated from ECSU magna cum laude with a major in English and a dual certification in English, grades 7-12, and grades 4-8, all subjects. “I’m really proud of this,” she says, “because I was the first person in my immediate family to finish college, and I had to work full-time Using Technology at Eastern Connecticut State University the Roaring Twenties-themed awards ceremony. “The categories changed, and there are now only three groups: small, medium, and large Associations. We had some very stiff competition from the likes of Nebraska, Texas, Maine, Virginia, Indiana, Oregon, Missouri, North Carolina, and Georgia. I am proud of the work we do, happy to be acknowledged for it, and most of all, proud to represent our state’s great teachers.” CEA’s Communications Department, headed up by Andrews, comprises CEA Advisor editor Lesia Winiarskyj, new media coordinator Laurel Killough, graphic designer Sandra Cassineri, and web developer/designer David Canales.

A former teacher, O’Neill (second from right) is a passionate advocate for her colleagues in the profession.

years ago, she also started to run recreationally and competitively. “As often as my schedule allows, I race as a member of the Run 169 Towns Society, a group whose goal is to run races in every Connecticut city and town. I’ve raced in 106 towns so far and hope to hit them all by late 2019. This group has given me valuable friendships, the drive to run longer races and improve my speed, and the goal of eventually running in all 50 states. I’ve even talked one of my CEA colleagues, my son, and several teachers and former student members into joining the group. Racing is something we often do together on the weekends.” Michele O’Neill may be reached at micheleo@cea.org .

while taking 17-21 credits each semester in order to graduate within four years.” Years later, she earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at St. Joseph College (now the University of St. Joseph). Hit the road When they’re not working or studying, Michele, Casey, and 10-year-old son AJ are usually playing—literally. “We’re part of a children’s music group called Steve Elci and Friends. We perform all over the country, with our biggest gig to date being our performance earlier this year at the Pilgrimage Festival in Tennessee, where we shared the spotlight with Justin Timberlake, Walk the Moon, and Eddie Vedder.” O’Neill sings lead and background vocals and plays the tambourine. Five

O’Neill and her husband have starred in and written episodes of a children’s web series called Kidsploration, which was produced by theday.com. Check it out on YouTube or kidsploration.club .

Accustomed to wearing many hats, O’Neill volunteered for CEA’s Read Across America 2018 bus tour in northeastern Connecticut.

SUPERFECTA! CEA WINS FOUR COMMUNICATIONS AWARDS CEA earned four prestigious Awards of Excellence in Category 2 (Medium Size Association) at the 2018 State

Education Association Communicators (SEAComm) Conference in Pittsburgh, June 13-16. • Best Newspaper: CEA Advisor • Best Editorial: “Enough!” (op-ed about gun safety in schools) • Best Internal Newsletter: CEAgo • Best Government and Political Affairs Campaign: “Keep Your Promise” (campaign against shifting state funding for education and teacher retirement onto cities and towns) “This year, competition was tougher than ever,” says CEA Communications Director Nancy Andrews, pictured at

CEA’s Nancy Andrews (left), pictured with SEAComm President Cyndi Menzel, accepts one of four awards given to CEA’s Communications Department at the 2018 SEAComm Conference in Pittsburgh. The theme of this year’s awards ceremony was the Roaring Twenties.