By Madison Warren
Photo credit – Madison Warren
Mt. Pleasant Elementary School in Smithtown celebrated this week one of its most dedicated staff members. Rob O’Connor, the school’s head custodian, was honored by the PTA with the 2025 Honorary Lifetime Award in recognition of his twenty-one years of service to the district and eight years at the school.
Rob O’Connor was surprised with this award on June 26th by school principal Joseph Ierano, PTA president Carissa Mitchell, and his wife, as he thought was an ordinary “staff meeting.” He received this award because of his exceptional dedication and contributions to the school community.
In announcing the award, Ierano spoke about Rob’s unwavering support and the countless ways he helps the school each day, saying, “So this person is someone who we call on hundreds of times a day to take care of us, to take care of all our needs, and that the PTA also relies heavily on all the events that they have to do for our student and teachers, all for good reason, but this year’s Honorary Life Award from the PTA goes to Mr. Rob O’Connor.”
Another coworker, when giving his award, said that Rob is always reliable at the school. The small acts he does might seem ordinary, but they are anything but. They show pride, care, and a deep sense of responsibility that makes this place more than just a building, and Rob helps it make a community.
His day-to-day responsibilities include keeping the school in top condition, from opening the building early each morning to handling repairs throughout the day to maintaining a spotless lunchroom. Whenever there’s a need, Rob is the one people call.
Rob also spoke about the crucial support he gets from his partner, Mike, who helps ensure everything runs smoothly even when Rob isn’t there.
“I worry about the school when I’m not here, but Mike is like my right arm, and we communicate. When you are off from here, you are not really off,” he said.
Rob has a deep love not just for the school itself, but for the students and teachers who stand by him. Even after the recent loss of his father, he returned to work just days later, dedicating himself entirely to his responsibilities. He said the outpouring of care and support from the staff truly moved him.
In addition to Rob being recognized, another teacher in the school was also honored a few weeks ago: third-grade teacher Melissa Clarkson. She has been a teacher at Smithtown for twenty-one years.
She said the best part of her job was the Smithtown community — whether it was seeing her students at the local store, bumping into parents on the soccer field, or building lasting friendships with her coworkers.
She received her award on June 18 because of her love and dedication to the district. When asked what she was feeling when she received her award, she said, “Just the feeling of knowing I work with such a great staff. We help each other. I just felt like I work hard, but I know everyone else does too. So I just felt super fortunate.”
Honored as well were Kristen Portigiano and Katilin Saar. Portigiano has chaired many events since her first child started at Mt. Pleasant in 2017. Her chairmanship of programs include Kindergarten Orientation for over five years and the Square One Art fundraiser. She also spearheaded the school’s main entrance bulletin board, bringing creativity to over 210 bulletin boards during her tenure. She was also an eager volunteer at almost all PTA functions from 2017 to 2025.
Saar has lead Mt. Pleasant’s Arts in Education Program for six years, the past two of which she has led the program as Director for all Smithtown CSD’s PTAs. She has chaired the Beautification Committee since 2019. She continues her chairmanship of both organizations, accompanied by her role as Committee Chair of the Sweetheart Dance and Holiday Shoppe, among other volunteer necessities.
Rob, Melissa, Kristen, and Kaitlin have left a lasting impact not only on Mt. Pleasant Elementary School but on the entire Smithtown District.
