The Teacher of The Year Awards ceremony is always a highly anticipated event. The South Huntington Board of Education, the district’s administrators, and the South Huntington learning community were out in full force Wednesday evening, February 11th, to give well-deserved recognition and praise to their top teachers during this annual celebration.
South Huntington’s district-wide teacher of the year is Walt Whitman Special Education teacher Ms. Amy Emde. Whitman Principal Ms. Kathleen Acker had this to say about her honoree: “Ms. Emde has to be one of the most caring individuals I have ever met and she epitomizes what it means to be a teacher. She literally sees the good in every child and has a unique gift that enables her to show the student what she sees and encourages them to reflect on their strengths. Ms. Emde is the teacher that sees the glass half full, not half empty. During times of tightening budgets and declining resources Amy is not that person to throw her hands in the air and say ‘oh well,’ she is the one that says ... ‘what if we try this.’ This remarkable amalgam of talent, enthusiasm, and sustained dedication is extremely deserving of the honor as Walt Whitman High School's and South Huntington's Teacher of the Year." Kathie Acker- Principal
Congratulations to all these fine teachers, who make a difference and truly love what they do.
OAKWOOD PRIMARY CENTER
Madeline Borland - Teacher of the Year“Ms. Madeline Borland, known as Midge to all, has been teaching for thirty years. She is a kind and understanding kindergarten teacher who embodies the early childhood philosophy for learning. Her lessons are always well-organized, motivating, differentiated, and challenging. She is described by parents as: ‘loving, concerned, respectful, and exciting,’ and by supervisors as ‘superorganized, enthusiastic, integrated lessons, great planning, creative, actively engaged students, fun, exciting, and possessing leadership qualities.’ This year she continued a special program- 'Valentine Pajamas for Patients,’ a program to collect flannel pajamas for women undergoing chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering. Congratulations Ms. Borland as Oakwood Teacher of the Year.” Eileen Kerrigan, Principal
COUNTRYWOOD PRIMARY CENTER
Adam Slawitsky - Teacher of the Year
“Mr. Slawitsky brings much enthusiasm, competence, and dedication to teaching and learning. His music room is a positive learning environment where children engage in making music, and appreciating it in its many, varied forms. He values and acknowledges his 600-plus students, communicates confidence in their ability to be successful, and rewards their efforts with special music certificates during their music classes. On any given day, happy, smiling faces can be seen walking in the hallway with a music certificate in hand. Adam Slawitsky is one of those exceptional people who make a big difference in a child's life. He is a model arts educator who represents the profession in the finest manner possible. Congratulations Adam!” Barbara Kenney- Principal
BIRCHWOOD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
Ian Denson – Teacher of the Year“As a student I ask you to think back to the teacher that made learning so much fun that you didn't even realize you were learning, such as incorporating humorous, descriptive and sometimes fictional stories about his life to make you laugh, that is Ian. Think about your child's teacher who comes out on a Sunday Morning with his family to eat Breakfast at Applebee’s for a [Birchwood] fundraiser because he knows how much it means to your child. As a parent, think about your child sharing a story each night at dinner of how their teacher made the day memorable, that is Ian. As Ian Denson, Birchwood Teacher of the Year, think about the lives you have touched and how you have made Birchwood a better place because you care to make a difference!” Anthony Ciccarelli- Principal
MAPLEWOOD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
Tonya Lourenco – Teacher of the Year“Ms. Lourenco has been a teacher at Maplewood for the past 17 years. One of the qualities I admire most about Tonya is her willingness to challenge herself with regularity. Never complacent or settling for mediocrity, Tonya has volunteered to change grade levels and even to team teach in an inclusion class when the opportunities arose. She is always willing to learn a new grade level, thus adding another facet to an already illustrious career. Another one of Tonya's outstanding personality traits is the spirit of collaboration she so willingly promotes. Her collegiality and congeniality make her one of the most well respected members of the Maplewood community. She is well-liked and admired by administrators, teachers, parents, and students as well.” Dr. Vito D’Elia- Principal
SILAS WOOD SIXTH-GRADE CENTER
Hilcia Brandt – Teacher of the Year“Ms. Brandt is a positive role model to all students that cross her path. She enthusiastically engages her students and encourages them to be lifelong learners. Ms. Brandt incorporates the use of iPads within her instruction and fosters a hands on approach to learning. She consistently diversifies and differentiates her lessons to maintain student engagement of her English Language Learners. Her enthusiasm, love, and passion for teaching shine through each day that she walks into her classroom. Ms. Brandt does not work or serve for awards or accolades, but simply to inspire and impact all those she comes in contact with each day. In short, she is a vital part of the Silas Wood Sixth-GradeCenter'steam.” Steve Toto- Principal
HENRY L. STIMSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
Seth Goldman – Teacher of the Year“Seth is a Math teacher, so when he asked for funding for a really cool activity, I thought to myself, anything that could make math sound cool we should certainly look into. What Seth was asking for was a motion detector that connects to the Tl-84 calculator. The motion detector tracks the path of a beach ball thrown by a student. I will admit, I heard beach ball and a way to make Algebra 1 more interesting and jumped at the opportunity to fund it. Shortly thereafter I observed the lesson, and saw students laughing, engaged, having fun, and most importantly learning. This is what is so special about Seth. Beyond his roles as a coach, advisor to National Junior Honor Society, Tech Mentor, and Mathematics Common Core Coach, he is dedicated to making learning real and fun for his students.” Edwin Smith- Principal
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