EWG remembers Mrs. Corcoran

Over the recent holiday recess, EWG tragically lost a valued member of its community. Mrs. Carin Corcoran, of Wawaloam School, passed away and was not here with us as the new year began. Mrs. Corcoran had been a beloved member of the EWG family since 1999. A celebration of her life was held on Jan. 8 at Fagan-Quinn Funeral Home in North Kingstown. School was canceled across the district, allowing many teachers, students, and alumni to pay their last respects prior to her burial.

A moving part of the service was delivered by Wawaloam Principal Melissa Marino. Invoking the familiar image of Mrs. Corcoran in her Mickey Mouse ears, Marino commented on the “magical” way in which Mrs. Corcoran moved her first-grade class onto their next activity with a song or a quote from Toy Story.

Marino also commented on the positive impact that Mrs. Corcoran had on her school community.

“In a school, we all have individual jobs to do, but Carin would always remind us that none of us is as successful as we can be without each other,” she said. “Carin was always willing to help anyone at any time. You could feel her impact this week as we navigated through our routines without her.”

“Carin prioritized teaching kindness in and out of her classroom among her students and her Wawaloam Family on a regular basis. I’d like to think she sprinkled us all with a little bit of Fairy Dust this week.”

Wawaloam Principal Melissa Marino

Mrs. Corcoran, she said, left a positive spirit behind her which the community still feels.

“People are coming together MAGICALLY to take care of each other,” she said. “Carin prioritized teaching kindness in and out of her classroom among her students and her Wawaloam Family on a regular basis. I’d like to think she sprinkled us all with a little bit of Fairy Dust this week.”

To conclude, Marino shared a text she received from Mrs. Corcoran regarding an impactful song that she had encountered on a recent trip to Disneyland.

“This song was pretty powerful for my whole family when we just saw the world of color in Disneyland,” the text read. “Just wanted to share.”

The song was called “Start a Wave.”

Feeling the appropriateness of this song which so aptly honored Mrs. Corcoran’s spirit, the assembled group listened as it was played.

Although Mrs. Corcoran was interred following the observance, her spirit will be long remembered by her EWG family.

Speaking to this legacy, the following comments were offered by her colleague, Mrs. Lisa-Marie Titus.

Mrs. Corcoran was a teacher extraordinaire! It was a privilege to teach with her at Wawaloam School. Our first grade team was lucky to have her on our team. It was a blessing to teach in the classroom next door to her for the past decade. Mrs. Corcoran taught me so much in the many years we worked together, and she always shared her expertise and supplies. She was the first person I asked when I needed help with anything. She was incredibly kind to my daughters, who always smiled and laughed with her. I miss following her on the road to school in the morning, and I am grateful for the times she gave me rides to school when I needed it. My most recent and sweetest memory is when she taught my class how to make gingerbread houses with a milk carton. She invited us into her classroom with open arms and made perfect plans for my students to sit in between her students on the rug. I watched along with many parent volunteers as Mrs. Cocoran did an amazing job teaching something new and challenging. Her lesson was methodical and fun. She will be missed by students and teachers. I treasure the memory of her being the most dedicated teacher. She loved her students, she loved Wawaloam School, and she loved our EWG community. — Signed with admiration and love, Mrs. Titus

EWG will feel Mrs. Corcoran’s absence for a long time, but there is no doubt that her spirit of gentleness and kindness will live on in those who still love and remember her.