On Sunday, October 2, the Saint Joseph School community proudly gathered at Family Mass to present their new Volunteer of the Year Award. The award is named in honor of Saint Joseph the Worker and will be presented annually to a volunteer who provides exemplary service to students, parents, faculty, and staff.
The 2022 recipient is Ms. Diane Obrycki from Oxford, MA. Ms. Obrycki became part of the Saint Joseph School family ten years ago when her son Matthew began PreK. In 2014, she became more involved in the school’s parent organization, the S.J.S. Home and School Association (H.S.A.). She served as a classroom representative every year until Matthew graduated this past spring. During that time, Ms. Obrycki supported the teachers by coordinating parent communications, assisting with classroom parties, and contributing whenever and wherever needed. In 2015, she was elected secretary of the H.S.A. and remained in that position until this past spring.
During her tenure as secretary, she organized Welcome Back Picnics, Memorial Day Parades, and fundraising endeavors such as Yankee Candle, Butter Braid, and Gift Card Calendar Sales. She coordinated Halloween events, raffles for Saint Joseph School auctions, casino and comedy nights, the Annual Tree Lighting, visits from Saint Nicholas, and floats in the Putnam, CT Christmas Parades. Ms. Obrycki was also heavily involved in organizing Catholic School Week events, including spaghetti dinners, securing entertainment for students, and teacher luncheons. In addition, she coordinated many bake sales and raffles for Saint Joseph School’s Annual Christmas Pageants.
When asked about her time at Saint Joseph School, Ms. Obrycki said she also enjoyed helping at non-H.S.A. events such as field days, school assemblies, and the Annual Parish Festival. Then she said, “I never thought of the time I put in as required hours. I am fortunate that Saint Joseph school allows parents to play a part in their child’s life outside the home. I believe in leading by example. What better way for my children to learn this than by helping wherever needed and to the best of my ability, especially for a community I feel so strongly about.”
As we know, God is found in our work. If we do it well, like the man who quietly taught Jesus to be a carpenter, we give glory to God. Saint Joseph, the Worker, stands by our side to encourage us toward the reward our work will earn. Ms. Obrycki genuinely deserves this award. Saint Joseph School would like to thank her for her dedication to Catholic education and her generosity of time, talent, and charitable work for the school community.
