![\"Ken](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771361710_243_REG-L-AntietamRISE2033.jpg\")
Ken Bonkoski, Antietam\u2019s 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)<\/p>\nIt was clear that Ken Bonkoski wasn\u2019t particularly comfortable.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
And when the others on the stage took to the podium, one after another singing Bonkoski\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see he\u2019s very thrilled with the attention,\u201d Antietam Superintendent Timothy Matlack wryly joked at one point.<\/p>\n
The center of attention isn\u2019t a place Bonkoski is used to being. And it\u2019s not one he enjoys all that much.<\/p>\n
He prefers to toil in anonymity, to tackle invisible tasks with no expectation of public praise. As the district\u2019s facilities manager, his work is often done when schools are absent of students and teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 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,\u201d Matlack said.<\/p>\n
Bonoski was pulled out of the shadows, rather unexpectedly and spectacularly, a little under three years ago. That\u2019s when, on July 9, 2023, a severe storm swept through Berks County.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
State Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe, who presented the award, said Bonkoski\u2019s response to the flood showed that he was worthy of the honor.<\/p>\n
She said she toured the school after the flood and was floored by the damage she witnessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is devastation,\u201d she recalled thinking. \u201cThis is destruction at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many people that was a headline; for Ken that was a starting line,\u201d she said. \u201cHe saw work that needed to get done and he got to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonkoski worked tirelessly, he worked diligently, he worked calmly, Rowe said. He left no detail ignored, he left no task unfinished.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis work, in essence, turned a disaster into a comeback story,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ken Bonkoski, Antietam\u2019s 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)<\/p>\n
Others who spoke during Tuesday\u2019s ceremony shared similar sentiment.<\/p>\n
School board Vice President Jen Miller praised the honoree\u2019s commitment and skill.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Bonkoski\u2019s dedication to our schools is beyond extraordinary,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I kind of think he knows everything. And if he doesn\u2019t, he\u2019ll work it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s genuine,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s true to himself, and he\u2019s true to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schwank called Bonkoski an amazing person who has had an enormous impact on Antietam.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a small but mighty district,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the reason you\u2019re mighty is because you have people like Ken Bonkoski.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock told Bonkoski that he was an ideal recipient of the praise he received Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI truly cannot think of another person who is as deserving of this RISE Award as you are,\u201d she said, adding later that she is truly inspired by him.<\/p>\n
When it was finally his time to speak, after surviving all the kind words heaped upon him, Bonkoski, much as expected, shared humble words.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knows me, and this is not my thing,\u201d he said to cheers from the crowd.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to work with a group of people who believe in the same things I do,\u201d he said, adding that he\u2019s lucky to come to work every day with people who want to make the district better. \u201cThat, in itself, is a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was clear that Ken Bonkoski wasn\u2019t particularly comfortable. He sat in the second row of chairs set…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116259,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129],"class_list":{"0":"post-116395","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reading","8":"tag-berks-county","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-reading-city","13":"tag-reading-city-headlines","14":"tag-reading-city-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}