East Greenwich Public Schools name District Teacher of the Year

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WLNE) — East Greenwich Public Schools have announced their Teacher of the Year.

Narragansett resident Patricia Rakovic was given the title after she was nominated by teachers at Frenchtown Elementary School.

According to a release, Rakovic is originally from New York and grew up with parents who instilled the belief that education was the key to a better life, and she was the first in her family to graduate from college.

Rakovic pursued a degree in Speech and Language Pathology with a minor in Education at Lehman College.

She earned a  Master’s degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors.

Her career spans 45 years in education, teaching at various schools in the state including; Rhode Island College, Johnson and Wales, Rhode Island Community College, and Providence College.

“Patricia models lifelong learning, never being satisfied with what she knows and always striving to better herself on behalf of her students, their families, and colleagues. We are a better district because of her,” said Superintendent Brian Ricca in a statement.