Celebrating Local Heroes

The Social Action Committee of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County will honor Susan Barry, language arts teacher at Maplewood Middle School, on Sunday, June 7, at 11:00 a.m. at the Society Building (516 Prospect St., Maplewood) as our first Local Hero.
The Committee has instituted a program for celebrating Local Heroes as part of Ethical Culture’s dedication to living an ethical life without dogma and to acting so as to bring out the best in others, and thus in ourselves. It has been our observation that many people in our towns and region are acting in precisely these ethical ways. They are doing important work that is often taken for granted and under-appreciated. It seemed appropriate to us to honor such individuals and their work for the community.
Our first honoree will be Susan Barry, a long time language arts teacher at Maplewood Middle School. Teachers have deep and wide influence on their students, but we believe the ripples should go wider. Ms. Barry has organized a Model United Nations program that is designed to be accessible to all types of students. The program has received ACHIEVE grants explicitly to make the program available to students of all economic groups. The first year in operation, the club had 13 members and attended one conference. The next year, 47 members attended two conferences. This year, along with the club, Ms. Barry is teaching a semester elective in Model UN to a total of 60 students. The club attends conferences and has training sessions. It also raises funds and commemorates Human Rights Day by researching human rights violations throughout the world. Students wore placards that day that told the story of a human rights violation somewhere in the world. They celebrated Red Hand Day in commemoration of child soldiers throughout the world by researching specific stories of child soldiers and sharing that information with other classes in the building, and they had a totally “red” bake sale and sent the money they raised to the UN Human Rights Council.
Ms. Barry, a graduate of Montclair State University with a Master’s Degree in Student Personnel Services from MaryGrove College, never hesitated in her choice of a career. She knew from 9th grade that she wanted to be a teacher. She calls herself “one of those few lucky people who found her niche and was able to stay there. Who could ask for more?”
It seems to the Social Action Committee of the Essex Ethical Culture Society that Ms. Barry exemplifies a creative and enthusiastic commitment to making the world a better place. Please join us at our Sunday Morning Program on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. to honor this local hero in a brief recognition ceremony. The Society building is located at 516 Prospect Street, Maplewood at Parker Avenue.