A Tribute To Our Friend: The Gift of Shelli To EBEA
The death of Shelli Fishman came as a shock to all of us. Our sadness has caused us to reflect on how truly extraordinary her life and the time we spent with her were.
Shelli started in the Association as a building rep. Her passion as an advocate for all school employees was immediately recognized. Shelli educated us about the daily life of the elementary teacher. Shelli also had a profound appreciation for the role that every member of our Association has in educating the students of East Brunswick. Since Shelli wanted all staff members to be recognized and rewarded for the contributions they make, she enthusiastically agreed to serve on many contract proposal committees and negotiating teams.
Shelli became an exemplary member of the organization, even willing to take on added responsibilities of Association leadership as Vice-President. Her commitment of time and energy to the EBEA became even more significant when her friends saw her daily calendar already filled with appointments to attend special occasions and activities for many of her students and former students.
Over time, we came to marvel at Shelli’s natural ability to relate to all groups within the school community – students, parents, fellow teachers, other staff members, administrators, central administrators, and Board members alike. Shelli was an excellent listener with a playful sense of humor. Shelli had a special ability to help people see their unique gifts and to make them feel that they were singularly important to her.
We are truly grateful that Shelli chose to spend some of her precious time with us at EBEA. What an extraordinary gift she was!
Shelli served as EBEA Vice President for seven years. She was recognized for her years of service and dedication at the June 2011 Rep. Council meeting.
The following note of thanks was one of the indicators of the person Shelli was…
