Debbie Berman received rounds of thanks from staff and fellow board members as she attended her last District 233 school board meeting Tuesday. She has served on the board for nine years.
Berman was first appointed to an unexpired term in 2014 and was elected to two four-year terms. She said she decided not to run to let someone new bring fresh ideas to the board. Christopher Riedel will take her seat after winning election to the board in the April 4 election.
Speaker after speaker thanked Berman for her efforts making certain Homewood-Flossmoor High School was always striving to be the best for the students.
“I am a product of Homewood-Flossmoor High School. I have had success in my career and in my life because of Homewood-Flossmoor High School,” she said.
Berman, an attorney, said her time on the board “really has been a labor of love. It’s been my way of giving back to the community that helped me be who I am. As board members we are stewards of one of the crown jewels of the Homewood-Flossmoor area, this high school. It’s my pleasure and honor and privilege to be a one of the stewards. Hopefully I got it right most of the time. I always tried to get it right.”
Former board member Jody Scariano, in thanking Berman, said she especially appreciated Berman’s recognition at every school board meeting of students and staff accomplishments.
Berman said, “We should really realize that in addition to our students getting awards, our faculty and administrators get lots of awards. We just have the best of the best at every level of this school. We should never forget it.
“People that come and try and tear us down and say we’re awful. Really? We can always be better and we’re always trying to be better, but we are awesome,” Berman said.
Cynthia Turnquest, who now serves on the board, said she watched Berman as an audience member.
“It all began as a parent, your absolute dedication to our students, every book that you have, every statement that you made, every action that you took, it was always that our kids were first and foremost. As a parent, I knew that my kids were in great hands. I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart,” Turnquest said.
Now that she’s served two years on the board Turnquest said, “I have a great appreciation for your work because I do now know what’s entailed and the sacrifices you have made and the dedication you have given these past nine years… Job well done, my friend.”
Board President Gerald Pauling called Berman the board’s compass.
“I could see where you were helping the board navigate whatever it was dealing with,” he said. Pauling appreciated her tenacity, her selflessness and her presence at H-F football games, honors programs, theater and music presentations and other events.
“Nobody talks junk about H-F in the presence of Debbie Berman because she’s going to speak up for our district and our kids. We need people like that,” Pauling said. He pointed to Berman’s tenacity on the board “taking positions that weren’t supported by everybody” but she wasn’t afraid to “question whoever needed to be questioned.”
Berman said her favorite time is when graduation nears and photos of the seniors are up in the hallway listing where they will be going to college, the military or their next step forward.
“We know we did right by them that they all have some amazing adventures to do. I’m so honored and humbled to have played a part in that for the limited time that I was here,” she said.