And The Person Of The Year Is...

Whether you’re the first of many to come or the one and only, there is no denying that being named the Ledyard Rotary Club's Person of the Year is a big honor…one that Sharon Hightower, the chair of the Board of Education, accepted with characteristic humility and appreciation Thursday.

“Oh my gosh, it was overwhelming and humbling,” she said of hearing the news. “It really takes a while to wrap your mind around this kind of recognition.”

This is the first of what the Rotary hopes to be an annual event. The award is given a person who best reflects the Rotary Club motto of “Service above Self” and “who have provided lengthy and extraordinary service to Ledyard and its residents.”

“I cannot think of another person who better exemplifies the Rotary motto of ‘service above self’, said Superintendent of Schools Michael Graner. “Sharon insists that all Board actions reflect the core values of the community and the goals set by the Board; as a result, the schools have thrived under her leadership.”

Graner was on the selection committee for the award and said he had no qualms about nominating his boss to the honored position.

“Working with Sharon has been the most professionally rewarding experience of all my years as a Superintendent of Schools,” he wrote in an email. “She has a profound understanding education and continually promotes the best interests of all students through her work on the Board.”

In fact, Graner said members of the Board of Education urged the Ledyard Rotary to offer the award so that they could be the first to nominate Hightower for it.

“Trust, transparency, integrity of process have been a hallmark under her leadership,” said Graner to full room of Rotarians, their guests and school board members. “I have been so lucky…(to) have had a chairman who, regardless – good data bad data – she just wants the truth and she wants to present to our community an honest picture of how the children are doing.”

Hightower said she entered college wanting to be a teacher but ended up taking a slightly different path. Now a research library at Westerly Library she said, “I think it’s a twist of fate that I ended up back in the middle of it.”

She began as a parent volunteer when her two sons entered the school system and hasn’t stopped since.  She has served as a parent volunteer, PTO member and president and a Board of Education member for nearly20 years, and the chairperson of the school board for the past eight years.

“It wasn’t a big surprise,” said her son Julian, 22, of the selection. “I’ve always thought of my mom as an outstanding person, she definitely deserves it.