Rutherford SEPAG's First Annual Starfish Award

Submitted by SEPAG (Special Education Parent Advisory Group

Rutherford Special Education Parent Advisory Group Announces Berna Betancor as the winner of the first annual Rutherford SEPAG Starfish Award!

Rutherford Special Education Parent Advisory Group (Board Co-Chairs, Clara Torres -

Jamison and Jennifer DiBella) are pleased to announce that Berna Betancor, Integrated

Preschool Teacher at Lincoln School, has been awarded the 2025 Rutherford SEPAG Starfish

Award. “We are thrilled to recognize Mrs. Betancor for her extraordinary dedication and contributions to the students of Rutherford. Her support and advocacy for our children truly makes a difference every day for the special education community.” said Melissa Gaffney, Community OutreachChair for the Rutherford SEPAG Board of Directors.

Michelle Perez-Hoen, Team Director, Rutherford Child Study Team, shared: “On behalf of the

Child Study Team, I am delighted to extend our sincerest congratulations to Berna Betancor.

Her caring attitude, dedication, and wonderful sense of humor, truly set her apart. Berna’s

commitment to fostering a love of learning and supporting the social-emotional well-being of our youngest learners exemplifies the very best of our district. This inaugural Starfish Award, a thoughtful initiative by SEPAG, beautifully highlights our shared mission to recognize and empower those who make an extraordinary difference in the lives of our special education students. We are proud to celebrate Berna’s outstanding contributions and the positive impact she has on our school community.”

The Rutherford SEPAG Starfish Award was created by the Rutherford Special Education

Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG) to recognize and celebrate educators, therapists, staff, and

administrators who make a meaningful difference in the lives of students with special needs.

Inspired by the Starfish Story, this award highlights those who go above and beyond—because every effort counts, and every child matters. Parents of students in the Special Education program in Rutherford School District nominated educators from the Rutherford schools who have gone above and beyond to support their children in special education.

The SEPAG received an overwhelming amount of nominations from a range of dedicated educators and staff, most notably: Kathleen Carr, Nicole S. DeWald, Adriane Freudenberg, Beth Fesken, Julie Frattarola, Chelsea Iocca, Vanessa Russo, and Jennifer Sayre (for their bios, visit our site).

To help celebrate Mrs. Betanor, the local acclaimed restaurant, Matisse 167 generously donated a special dining experience. The Rutherford SEPAG Board of Directors would like to thank Matisse 167 for helping to acknowledge our deserving winner and for supporting the Rutherford Special education community.

About Our Winner

Berna Betancor has worked in the Rutherford District for eleven years. She started her career as the push-in support teacher for grades 1-3. For the past nine years, she has served as the

Lincoln School Integrated Preschool Teacher. Mrs. Betancor says that the best part of her job is providing her students with the skills to succeed and build a love for learning. She is a strong believer in learning through play and hands-on activities as well as supporting students’ social and emotional well-being. She feels lucky to be a part of this extraordinary district and provide the best education for our smallest bulldogs!

About Rutherford SEPAG

Special Education Parent Advisory Group is Rutherford's state-mandated, district-level,

parent-driven group charged with providing input to Rutherford's school district on system-level challenges in special education and related services. We are a committee that advises the Rutherford School District's Leaders and the Child Study Team on what systemic improvements may be needed to assist in-district and out-of-district Rutherford's special education parents better.

Along with the district, we also provide information, resources, events, and workshops for

parents to empower them and help them with their children's special education journey. The

Rutherford SEPAG Board includes Clara Torres-Jamison and Jennifer DiBella (Board

Co-Chairs), Elaine Chin (Out of District Chair), Melissa Gaffney (Community Outreach Chair),

and Nicky Lorenzo (Communications and Operations Chair). For more information, please visit: rutherfordsepag.com.