It was clear that Ken Bonkoski wasn’t particularly comfortable.
He sat in the second row of chairs set up on the stage inside the auditorium of Antietam High School on Tuesday morning, obscured from the view of students packed in the seats.
And when the others on the stage took to the podium, one after another singing Bonkoski’s praises, he seemed to shrink. At one point he hung his head, nervously rubbing the side of his nose as a speaker told the crowd how special Bonkoski is.
“I see he’s very thrilled with the attention,” Antietam Superintendent Timothy Matlack wryly joked at one point.
The center of attention isn’t a place Bonkoski is used to being. And it’s not one he enjoys all that much.
He prefers to toil in anonymity, to tackle invisible tasks with no expectation of public praise. As the district’s facilities manager, his work is often done when schools are absent of students and teachers.
“He’s someone who has quietly operated in the background of the Antietam School District, but without whom we might not be sitting in this building right now,” Matlack said.
Bonoski was pulled out of the shadows, rather unexpectedly and spectacularly, a little under three years ago. That’s when, on July 9, 2023, a severe storm swept through Berks County.
Heavy downpours overwhelmed local waterways. Floodwaters raged over the banks of the Antietam Creek. The water tore through the Stony Creek Mills neighborhood and penetrated the walls of Antietam Middle Senior High School.
About 90% of the school was flooded, with water levels reaching as high as 2 feet on the lower floors. The damage left the building unusable.
Faced with a catastrophe, Bonoski flew into action, Matlack said. He led the charge to shuffle buildings, install modular classrooms and, eventually, guide the construction of a new school.
For his efforts, Bonoski was announced in December as the winner of the 2026 RISE Award by the state Department of Education. And on Tuesday a ceremony was held to officially bestow the honor upon him.
The RISE Award, established by Congress in 2019 and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, honors a non-teaching school employee who provides exemplary service.
State Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe, who presented the award, said Bonkoski’s response to the flood showed that he was worthy of the honor.
She said she toured the school after the flood and was floored by the damage she witnessed.
“This is devastation,” she recalled thinking. “This is destruction at the highest level.”
The situation drew a lot of attention across the region and state, she said. But while it was a news story for most, it was something different for Bonkoski.
“For many people that was a headline; for Ken that was a starting line,” she said. “He saw work that needed to get done and he got to it.”
Bonkoski worked tirelessly, he worked diligently, he worked calmly, Rowe said. He left no detail ignored, he left no task unfinished.
“His work, in essence, turned a disaster into a comeback story,” she said.
Ken Bonkoski, Antietam’s school facilities manager, speaks to the students, faculty, staff and guests after receiving the RISE award during an assembly on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at Antietam High School. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Others who spoke during Tuesday’s ceremony shared similar sentiment.
School board Vice President Jen Miller praised the honoree’s commitment and skill.
“Mr. Bonkoski’s dedication to our schools is beyond extraordinary,” she said. “And I kind of think he knows everything. And if he doesn’t, he’ll work it out.”
State Sen. Judy Schwank said Bonkoski has been a constant positive presence in the district and is willing to do whatever he can for students, teachers and staff.
“He’s genuine,” he said. “He’s true to himself, and he’s true to you.”
Schwank called Bonkoski an amazing person who has had an enormous impact on Antietam.
“You’re a small but mighty district,” she said. “And the reason you’re mighty is because you have people like Ken Bonkoski.”
State Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock told Bonkoski that he was an ideal recipient of the praise he received Tuesday.
“I truly cannot think of another person who is as deserving of this RISE Award as you are,” she said, adding later that she is truly inspired by him.
When it was finally his time to speak, after surviving all the kind words heaped upon him, Bonkoski, much as expected, shared humble words.
“Everybody knows me, and this is not my thing,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
Bonkoski said the recognition he was receiving was not his own but should be shared with every employee of the district, particularly his facilities staff.
“I get to work with a group of people who believe in the same things I do,” he said, adding that he’s lucky to come to work every day with people who want to make the district better. “That, in itself, is a lot.”