PROVIDENCE – Elizabeth Amadio, a sixth-grade teacher at Gilbert Stuart Middle School, was named the 2019 Providence Public School District Teacher of the Year Friday at a surprise ceremony attended by Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza.
Amadio has taught at Gilbert Stuart for nearly 18 years. In a news release, Elorza’s office described Amadio as a teacher who is known for her work recognizing her students’ accomplishments and as the coordinator of the school’s Alan Shawn Feinstein Good Deed program, helping organize canned good drives and Thanksgiving donations for families in need.
“Teachers like Ms. Amadio are part of what makes Providence public schools so exceptional,” said Elorza in a statement. “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. “
At the ceremony, Amadio told the audience, “I do not do things at this school for attention. I do it for intention. … 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.”
The Gilbert Stuart principal, Scott Sutherland, said in a press release that “Elizabeth Amadio is at the top of the list of exceptional teachers with whom I have worked. … She embodies all that is excellent about education.”