LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

When Alicia Ribeca was called to the stage to accept Linden Public Schools’ It Takes a Village Staff Award, she didn’t stand alone.

The McManus Middle School teacher was being honored for leading one of the school district’s most powerful student initiatives of the year—a 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 “𝗡𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲”—but true to her character, she chose to share the moment with the sixth-grade students she guided every step of the way.

“𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺,” Ribeca 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱. “𝗠𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.”

Her humility underscored exactly why she was being recognized. Ribeca sees teaching not as a platform for personal accolades but as an opportunity to spark empathy, curiosity, and leadership in young minds.

She received the award during the Board of Education’s April meeting, which coincided with Teacher Appreciation Month—fitting timing for an educator whose commitment goes far beyond the curriculum.

𝗔 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲

Walk into Room 200 at McManus, and it’s clear you’re entering more than just a middle school classroom. As Ryan Devaney, Supervisor of Student Services, described, “Miss Ribeca does not view her role as a job, but rather a work of art.”

Under her leadership, 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 “𝟏𝟎 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞” spent four months conducting interviews, producing media, and creating a campaign to celebrate diverse cultures and promote empathy as part of their 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬’ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

“This level of engagement doesn’t happen by chance,” said Devaney. “It happens with intention—and heart.”

𝗔 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻

McManus Principal William Mastriano noted that Ribeca’s dedication is felt well before the first bell rings.

“She’s one of the first teachers in the building each day, running academic support sessions before school even starts,” Mastriano said. “And on top of that, she’s leading a project that teaches her students—and our whole community—about compassion, collaboration, and leadership.”

Ribeca’s students interviewed teachers, classmates, city leaders, and even senior citizens. Their work gained attention from throughout Linden, including visits from Mayor Derek Armstead and Superintendent Dr. Atiya Perkins.

“They were even logging on to Zoom during spring break because they were so excited about the work,” Mastriano added. “That tells you everything you need to know about the impact of this project—and of this teacher.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Superintendent Dr. Atiya Y. Perkins praised Ribeca not only for her vision but for her belief in the abilities of her students.

“When you saw this project, you believed your students were capable—and they exceeded every expectation,” Perkins said. “You hold them accountable, you support their voices, and you push them to lead with heart.”

From memorizing the mission to designing questions and managing technology, the students took ownership of the entire campaign.

“You said yes to education,” Perkins said, “and your classroom proves that learning is the most powerful tool to change the world.”

For Alicia Ribeca, teaching has never been about standing in the spotlight.

It’s about passing the light on to her students—and watching them shine.