Byram BOE honors recipients of governor's awards

BYRAM — The Byram Township Board of Education has officially acknowledged Mrs. Therese Friend, Byram Lakes Elementary School LLD teacher, and Mrs. Melissa Randall, Byram Intermediate School seventh grade Science teacher, as the district’s recipients of the Governor’s Educator of the Year (GEOY) award along with Ms. Bethany McNamee, School Social Worker and Mr. Kevin DeJong, School Psychologist as the district’s recipients of the Governor’s Educational Services Professional (GESP) award. A panel of parents, teachers, and administrators selected the teachers and service professionals.
In making their selection, the panel identified Friend and Randall for their excellence as educators who inspire and influence their students to learn. The panel identified McNamee and DeJong as extraordinary leaders in their professions who take pride in their fields to help our students. They are collaborative educators and professionals who have also developed positive relationships with their fellow staff members, students, parents, as well as administrators.
Therese Friend earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from William Paterson University in Special Education. She has been employed in our district as a Special Education/LLD teacher in grades kindergarten through fourth and this year is teaching kindergarten, second and third grade for a total of ten years at the Byram Lakes Elementary School.
Melissa Randall earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Gordon College in Massachusetts with a major in Biology and a minor in Secondary Education. She has been employed in our district as a Special Education teacher and now as our seventh grade Science teacher for the past three years for a total of eleven years at the Byram Intermediate School.
Bethany McNamee earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Richard Stockton College of NJ, her Master of Arts in Social Work from Rutgers University, and her law degree from Seton Hall. She owns her own private practice counseling at-risk youths and their families. McNamee has been employed in our district as our School Social Worker for the past four years.
Kevin DeJong earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Montclair State University. He has been employed in our district as our School Psychologist for the past three and a half years.
On May 12 along with other Governor’s recognition recipients from Sussex County, they will attend a convocation ceremony at the Lafayette House where they will be presented a plaque for this prestigious award. The Byram Township Board of Education will honor Friend and Randall, as recipients of GEOY award and McNamee and DeJong, as recipients of the GESP award, at the May 24 board meeting. The meeting is open to the public and will start at 7:00 p.m.