Right away, Robert Bushell knew something was up. 

His sister, Donna DeBlasio, had promised to take him out for lunch. But late in the morning on Wednesday, May 28, instead of pulling up to a restaurant as he’d expected, they arrived outside Park Elementary School in Warwick. When Bushell asked what was going on, DeBlasio waved away his questions and brought him inside.

Upon entering, the retired Warwick Public Schools educator and administrator was greeted with a surprise ceremony in his honor. Inside, Bushell’s friends, family and former colleagues had gathered to celebrate the dedication of the Park Elementary School library, which would thereafter be known in his name as the Robert T. Bushell library. 

The result of a year and a half’s worth of planning on the part of DeBlasio and outgoing Director of Elementary Education Patricia Cousineau, the ceremony brought together a crowd of people who had been touched by Bushell’s legacy during his decades-long career in education. Cousineau estimated that those in attendance represented roughly 200 collective years of work in the Warwick school system.

So, did the plan work? Was he surprised?

“I’ve never seen Bob speechless before!” Cousineau joked as she introduced the ceremony. She recalled how Bushell had been a pillar of support for her from her earliest days in the system as a student teacher at Lippitt Elementary, when she was still learning the ropes: “He knew when you needed him and when you didn’t need him.”

Bushell, whose Warwick schools career spanned nearly 45 years, taught fifth grade at Park Elementary before becoming the district’s director of elementary education. Although he retired from the job over a decade ago, educators and administrators in Warwick today still credit his ardent enthusiasm and signature “Bushell-isms” with informing their pedagogy. Many of the speakers in attendance remembered him as an integral part of their careers – including Lynn Dambruch, the outgoing Warwick schools superintendent, who recalled Bushell’s support as indispensable during her fledgling years working in education.

“He was always child-centered,” Dambruch said in an interview. “Whatever decision he made, it was what’s best for children.” She recalled how Bushell handled shifting curriculums with aplomb, including new Common Core standards and testing requirements. “He had a lot on his plate, and he did a nice job with that,” she said.

During her remarks at the ceremony, Dambruch recalled how she admired Bushell’s willingness to advocate for students and speak out against programs he felt weren’t in their best interest. While his colleagues may not have always agreed with him, she said, they respected how his passion for the students of Warwick underpinned all of his decisions. “He loved children just like you,” Dambruch told the Park students in attendance.

To celebrate Bushell’s commitment to supporting the children in the school district, a group of Park elementary students had prepared a musical performance for the occasion. The first- and second-grade students, who had been sitting cross-legged on the library’s rug and diligently shushing each other before the big surprise, rose to sing “When You Open a Book,” a song about the joys of reading. Music teacher Josh Sayer, who accompanied the students on piano, remarked that the song felt appropriate for a library dedication. 

After taking the podium, DeBlasio declined to take sole credit for planning the surprise ceremony, insisting that she’d had a “lot of help.” She cited Bushell’s commitment to excellence and his perseverance in the face of challenge as the defining characteristics of his career.

“May your legacy and dedication continue to motivate us all,” DeBlasio said.

While the bulk of Bushell’s career was spent as an administrator, his comparatively short time as a teacher still left an indelible mark on his students. Maggie Wallentin, a former student of his, described him in her remarks as “one of the teachers I will always remember.”

While he had no way of knowing he’d have to give a speech that day, Bushell needed no preparation to rhapsodize about his passion for education. He cited the adage that guided his years as a teacher, principal and director for Warwick schools: “If it’s good for kids, let’s do it!” 

“Here we had more fun, and that’s what education should be: fun!” he said. He could still recall the days when the Park library, now a large space well stocked with books, was just a small side room in the building.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my 45 years,” Bushell said. “I can't believe it was that long! That's a long time. But my most favorite was when I was a teacher. I missed the kids.”

After the ceremony concluded, Bushell stayed back to greet and shake hands with a series of well-wishers. Once all was said and done, he had to concede that his sister’s scheme had worked: he was, indeed, “very” surprised.