![Sarah Garber Almon]()
by thelewisaw1dev | May 22, 2008 | Lifetime Achievement
Sarah Garber Almon, eighth grade teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Raleigh, was presented the Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Lifetime Achievement in Catholic Education at the close-of-school Mass in June 2008. Miss. Almon retired from the classroom after having taught at Our Lady of Lourdes School for thirty-seven years.
In his remarks at the presentation, Msgr. Lewis characterized Miss Almon as “a student even as she teaches. An avid reader, she also likes to write. She is a mathematician of excellence; but more than all of this, she loves her students.” He noted that over the years, Miss Almon has often been a counselor to former students. An eighth grade homeroom teacher, Miss Almon is also the Girls’ Basketball coach at Lourdes. With the eight grade, she started the Passion play that the school performs each Lent. She is a Special Minister of the Eucharist at the school and a lector of her parish, St. Mary in Garner.
“Miss Almon has given her life to educating and loving all the children entrusted to her,” Msgr. Lewis concluded. “She has given her whole self to this ministry.”
Dr. Michael J. Fedewa, Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Formation and Education, presented Miss Almon with a check for $1500, which is part of the Award’s honors to a Recipient.
Ms. Almon lives in Garner, North Carolina.
by thelewisaw1dev | May 28, 2006 | Lifetime Achievement
Brother Michel Bettigole, OSF, retired principal of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, was awarded the Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Lifetime Achievement in Catholic Education during the Gibbons Graduation Ceremony on May 28, 2006.
Brother Michel, of the Franciscan Brothers of New York, arrived in Raleigh in 1994 to become principal of Cardinal Gibbons High School and was responsible for transforming Cardinal Gibbons into the thriving high school in its state-of-the-art facility it is today. Not only was he known for his administrative skills, Brother Michel also was a teacher, playwright, editor, and mentor. He was best known as “a friend”.
Jason Curtis, current principal of Cardinal Gibbons, said in a retirement article on Brother Michel in ‘North Carolina Catholics’, “For anyone who has worked in schools, you hope that some of the things you do will have a lasting impact. After he leaves, we’ll continue to be affected by him. He’s left a remarkable legacy in this school – some of it in bricks and mortar and some of it in spirituality”.
Brother Michel lives in Brooklyn, New York.
by thelewisaw1dev | Sep 27, 2002 | Lifetime Achievement
Lesley Andola Ferguson, Principal of St. Egbert School in Morehead City, was presented with the Lewis Award for Lifetime Achievement in Catholic Education in Wilmington, NC, on September 27, 2002. She is the second individual to be honored with this Award. Mrs. Ferguson has been principal at St. Egbert’s School for over 30 years, and is believed to be the first lay principal in the school system of the Diocese of Raleigh.
In writing of Mrs. Ferguson, then pastor, Fr. Gregory Spencer, said, “I have never met a principal who is so set on a mission as Mrs. Ferguson. She is not only a woman on a mission, but a woman with a vision as well”. Fr. Spencer also described her as a gifted principal who often reminds the community that St. Egbert’s is a “small mission school”.
Mrs. Ferguson’s award was given during an Emmaus Conference for Catholic school teachers and catechists. While she was unaware of the honor to be bestowed on her, Mrs. Ferguson’s staff and husband knew and enjoyed the surprise presentation. Said Anne Stahel, Lewis Award Chair, “Seeing the surprise on her face was a wonderful treat. The presentation was one of the best ‘gotcha’s’ I have ever witnessed.” Lesley Ferguson continues to serve as principal of St. Egbert School.
Mrs. Ferguson lives in Morehead City, North Carolina
by thelewisaw1dev | Mar 13, 1999 | Lifetime Achievement
Corazon Gracia Bilano, retired First Grade Teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Raleigh was presented with the first Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Lifetime Achievement in Catholic Education on March 13, 1999, at a Call to Jubilee celebration being held at St. Raphael Church in Raleigh.
In her comments announcing the inauguration of the Lifetime Achievement component of the Lewis Award, Anne Stahel, Award chair, noted that as the Excellence in Teaching Award was limited to full-time classroom teachers, long range plans had been put in place at the time of the Lewis Award’s institution in 1992 to be a means of honoring any individual in the Diocesan school system, whether the individual be classroom teachers, administration or staff.
Sr. Mary Therese Grady, SND, then principal of Lourdes School, said of Ms. Bilano, “She is probably one of the most outstanding teachers I have ever seen teach. She’s a person who does everything needed to help a child learn. She is a master teacher”.
Ms. Bilano, who retired after 40 years of teaching, is quite active in the Hispanic community, and served for many years as the volunteer Hispanic coordinator at Sacred Heart Cathedral. She continues to be very active in many aspects of her church and civic communities.
Ms. Bilano lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
