Staff Spotlight: A winding path led Bonnie Rattai to students who love her at Smith Elementary
by Amy Haggerty
For the past eleven years we are very fortunate to have Bonnie Rattai in the Stockbridge Community School District. Working at Smith Elementary School as a paraprofessional, she assists students with disabilities, and she accomplishes this with grace and ease.
Rattai exhibits so many of the characteristics that are important for her job. She’s patient, and she loves and genuinely cares about each one of her students.
“I love my students. When they see me, they give me hugs!” Rattai said.
Rattai grew up in the Hartland, Mich., area where she attended high school and played varsity basketball for four years. After high school, she attended Oakland Community College for two years and played basketball there until receiving a full basketball scholarship to play for the NCAA at the University of Alabama in Mobile.
After college, Rattai came home to Michigan and tried a number of jobs before she landed here in Stockbridge. She worked at a retirement home in Brighton and then went to Blue Cross Blue Shield and Thermafil. Next, she moved onto work in juvenile court as a court recorder and then the Prosecutor’s Office in Howell. Later she owned her own daycare center in Hartland for six years. After all that, she came to the Stockbridge area in 2006 and worked as a crossing guard for nine years. Needless to say, Stockbridge is lucky she eventually found her way to working with the kids at Smith Elementary as a parapro.
What she likes most about working for the Stockbridge district is her co-workers and the students. She offers great advice to the students she assists. “Never give up and always dream big! Also, be kind to one another, be true to yourself, and don’t change just to fit into groups.”
Rattai works with kindergarten through second grades. Brad Edwards, principal at Smith Elementary, said this about Rattai, “She’s a very dedicated paraprofessional who takes pride in taking great care of all the students she works with.”
Rattai feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to play basketball in school and travel to see different parts of the United States. But the highlight of her life was marrying her husband and growing their family together. Rattai married her husband, Rick, in 1994, and they have two daughters, Samantha, 22, and Victoria, 19. Recently, the Rattai family has grown once again, as a new grandson—Callahan—was born in April.
Her parents, Gary and Kathy, are credited with being the most influential people in Rattai’s life. “They were great role models for me and were always there for our school work and sporting events,” she explained.
Rattai also commends Jane Clarke, former administrator for Stockbridge Schools, for being there for her during her school years in Hartland.
In addition to spotlighting her great work, Stockbridge Community News would also like to wish Rattai a happy birthday on July 19! So if you see her around town, be sure to extend wishes to her for a great day!
Bonnie Rattai is a well-loved paraprofessional at Smith Elementary. Here she is pictured with her family (from left to right): Son-in-law-to-be Jeremiah Stevens, daughter Samantha, Bonnie, husband Rick, and daughter Victoria. Photo credit: Brian Frazzini.
