WOODBURY — We’ve all seen her: in the cafeteria, the hallway, the bus stop.
Ellie Bruce isn’t just as her badge indicates; she isn’t just Nonnewaug support staff, but instead she’s a guiding and helpful presence for everyone on campus.
Bruce began her tenure as support staff at NHS in 2013, starting in her role as a lunch monitor for only two and a half hours every day. Today, Bruce is so much more as she can be seen not only as a part-time lunch monitor, but in the hall, the bus pick-up lines, and much more.
One of the most immediate things that comes to the mind of staff members when thinking of Bruce is the way she handles situations with students.
“What makes Ellie, Ellie [is] how she deals with the kids. She has a way of being strict and following the rules but also treating the kids with respect, and all the kids seem to respond to that very well,” School Resource Officer Chris O’Toole said. “A couple kids last year were struggling personally, and she sat down with them for days and days and [would] talk to them and help them through what they were going through.”
Students appreciate Bruce in the school because of all that she does for them.
“[Ellie is] a wonderful person who works hard at her job; she’s always there if you need her to make sure everyone is OK,” says junior James Gwiazdoski. “[She] deserves a very good round of applause for all the work that she does for the school.”
Helping the kids at Nonnewaug is something Bruce says she enjoys doing.
“If I can make the littlest difference in one student each day, it’s just really rewarding,” Bruce says. “I remember years ago I had a really, really, really difficult student, it was a boy, and by the time he graduated, he wrote me this really nice note, and those are the things that make it worth it.”
Not only is Bruce helpful with the kids, but she is a crucial part of the staff and for the administration.
“Anything that you ask of her, she is going to get done, and she is not going to stop until it’s done correctly,” Nonnewaug principal Mykal Kuslis says. “She really is the pulse of the school. She is that person for both kids and staff members. I wish I could clone her and have two.”
Alongside the administration, Bruce also has colleagues she works the closest with, such as Kathryn Brenner, a wellness and PE teacher at Nonnewaug.
“One of my fondest memories of Ellie is when her first grandson was born. Ellie was so excited and so proud,” Brenner says. “She loves her family and is a wonderful mom to her children and grandchildren.”
Not only is Bruce a good mom to her actual family but a good “school mom” to Nonnewaug’s students.
“The thing I enjoy the most is my family,” Bruce said. “My favorite thing is being a mom, and that’s why I’m here and why I like working with kids. It’s still like being a mom here. All [NHS students] become like another family for me.”
