Essex County Italian Heritage Month: Educator, Lawyer Earn Awards

Community Corner

Essex County Italian Heritage Month: Educator, Lawyer Earn Awards Two local residents were honored as "Stellas della Contea di Essex": Carolyn Ciccone-Granato and Thomas Scrivo.

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An assistant school superintendent and a managing partner at a law firm got a resounding congratulations from local officials at the 2024 Essex County Italian American Heritage Month celebration.

At this year's celebration, two local residents were honored as "Stellas della Contea di Essex" (Stars of Essex County): Carolyn Ciccone-Granato and Thomas Scrivo.

The annual event is part of a yearlong series of programs that are held to raise awareness about and celebrate the diversity of Essex County.

"This is so humbling and means so much because it comes people who I admire so much," Ciccone-Granato said. "There are two things in my life that I am especially proud of, and those are being an Italian American and working as an educator."

"I am deeply touched by this recognition and even more humbled looking at the previous recipients," Scrivo agreed.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said that Ciccone-Granato and Scrivo have each made an outstanding impact on their communities.

"Today, we are honoring two proud Italian Americans who have positively impacted our world and our county," DiVincenzo said.

County officials provided the following background information about Ciccone-Granato and Scrivo:

EXPERIENCED EDUCATOR

Carolyn Granato has dedicated 34 years of service to educating Newark's youth and integrating support programs for students to set them up for long term academic success. Her career in education began at Oliver Street School, where she taught 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grade and later became the ELA Staff Developer of the school.

She pivoted her career in education to the administrative side and quickly ascended through the ranks. Her first administrative role was as Vice Principal of Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School and, soon after, she became the Principal of McKinley Elementary School, where she served for 18 years. In 2016, Granato was asked to lead the Office of Special Education as Executive Director. Her experience in Special Education provided her the necessary skills for her current role as Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services for the Newark Board of Education. As Assistant Superintendent, she oversees the implementation of support programs and resources for special needs students, which greatly improve the chances of success academically and beyond.

Granato has been recognized for her excellence in both leadership as an administrative professional, as well as her service to children's education in her years as an elementary and middle school educator. In 2005, she was awarded the City of Newark Resolution for Heroic Leadership. In 2009, she received the Outstanding Educator Award by the Benedetto Croce Organization. In 2013, she was recognized by the CHAD Foundation for her work in special education and was included in their Annual Report for outstanding practices in special education.

ACCOMPLISHED LAWYER

Thomas P. Scrivo is an accomplished trial lawyer and a trusted advisor to businesses, governmental entities, and individuals. He is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney and previously served as Chief Counsel to Governor Chris Christie from 2015 to 2017. He led the Governor's legislative initiatives, supervised gubernatorial appointments, and oversaw New Jersey's Executive Branch, including all state departments and authorities.

He has vast experience in the public sector, having served as municipal attorney to several New Jersey municipalities and as special counsel to governmental entities in a wide array of litigated matters. He is the author of the New Jersey Local Government Deskbook, a leading government treatise updated annually.

Scrivo also has remained involved in many boards and organizations within Essex County. He is a past President of the Essex County Bar Association, former Trustee of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and current Trustee of the Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey. He is the current Chair of the Seton Hall Law School Board of Visitors. He has served as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Law, where he taught State and Local Government. He has been a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court's District V-B Ethics Committee. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner appointed Scrivo as Vice Chair of the Supreme Court of New Jersey's Working Group on Ethical Issues Involving Metadata in Electronic Documents. He served on the Essex County College Board of Trustees for 15 years. Thomas has also dedicated his time towards philanthropy for Essex County. He served as Chair of the Essex County Heart Walk, which raised more than $500,000 for the American Heart Association.

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