A former student and now teacher at Saint Benedict School received a special honor for his years of hard work as a local educator.  

Ben Piacquadio was a volunteer tutor and substitute teacher at his alma mater of Saint Benedict, and has even spearheaded school fundraisers and helped coach the basketball team.  

Known to his students and colleagues as Mr. P, he now teaches eighth-grade history and heads the school’s athletics department. He says his extracurricular activities led him to discover his passion to be an educator.  

Mr. P was honored with the Forum of Italian-American Educators’ Excellence in Teaching Award, thanks to his commitment to his school community. He has led many projects at the school, including the Brick project, celebrating the school’s 90th anniversary through the creation of an online photo database during the pandemic, highlighting the school’s history.  

The teacher says he doesn’t know what the future holds but that belonging to the Saint Benedict’s community is rewarding in its own right.