Tuttle Avenue School Mourns Loss Of Popular Kindergarten Teacher

Parents of students attending the Eastport South Manor School District learned earlier this week, via district letter, that a popular kindergarten teacher at the Tuttle Avenue School died on New Year’s Day.

Cathleen Clark, who taught in the district for 20 years, was loved by her young students for her warm personality.

“She was very caring, very genuine,” said Karen Koliadko, principal of the Tuttle Avenue School. “She had a wonderful rapport with the students. They are 4- and 5-year-olds when they come in, and she was very warm with them.”

Ms. Koliadko, who worked with Ms. Clark for three years, said it was evident that Ms. Clark loved being surrounded by children.

“They were very close with her,” Ms. Koliadko said. “It was a very warm and caring environment. She was like a mother figure and the children were easily drawn to her.”

Students in Ms. Clark’s class learned of their teacher’s death from their parents after a letter was shared with them on Monday, explained Ms. Koliadko.

District officials declined to share any details of Ms. Clark’s passing, including her age and hometown. Attempts by The Press to contact survivors regarding viewing and funeral services were unsuccessful this week.

“The students are doing well,” Ms. Koliadko said on Tuesday morning. “Five-year-olds don’t developmentally understand death the way we do. They just know she won’t be returning.”

Mark Nocero, the superintendent of schools for Eastport South Manor, sent a letter dated January 4 to parents alerting them of Ms. Clark’s death.

“It is with great sadness that I inform you that Cathleen Clark, a Kindergarten teacher at Tuttle Avenue School, died on January 1, 2016. She will be missed by the children, parents, and staff of ESM,” Mr. Nocero wrote.

“Ms. Clark worked in our District for twenty years. During this time, she touched the lives of many students and her colleagues as a teacher, a coach, and a club adviser,” he continued. “In addition to her current position at Tuttle Avenue School, Ms. Clark previously taught at Dayton Avenue and Eastport Elementary schools.”

Some of the older students in the elementary school, who had Ms. Clark in previous years, are having a harder time coping with her death, Ms. Koliadko explained. She said social workers and psychologists have been visiting students in their classrooms and looking for signs of those struggling with her sudden passing.

“She was a very private person,” Ms. Koliadko said of Ms. Clark.

A new, permanent teacher took over Ms. Clark’s class as of Monday morning. District officials declined to name the new teacher.