Edward Kolodziej Receives Dunkirk City Schools' Colman Award

An educator who spent more than three decades teaching in the Dunkirk City School District was honored this week with a prestigious award. Edward Kolodziej is the 52nd recipient of the William T. Colman Award, which is presented annually to a retired teacher who taught in the district on a continuous basis for at least 10 years. Dunkirk Superintendent Brian Swatland says the award carries on Colman's "remarkable" legacy...

Brian Swatland: so many deserving people

Kolodziej was a foreign language teacher in the district for 35 years. He also chaired Dunkirk's Foreign Language Department, and was an advisor for the high school's National Honor Society and the French Club. During Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, he thanked several people for their support...

Edward Kolodziej: thanked several people

He also thanked the Colman family for making the endowment possible, then ended his acceptance speech by saying, "Bonsoir, merci, gracias, danke, tibi gratias ago." Kolodziej will receive $15,000 through a trust fund established in 1973 through the estate of William Colman.

Photo by Greg Larson