NEWS & EVENTS: SIA IN THE NEWS STORY DETAILS

STATEN ISLAND ACADEMY HERALDS IN ITS 121 ST YEAR WITH NEW PROGRAMS, ADDED TECHNOLOGY, AND MAJOR RENOVATIONS

 August 2005 – Bees weren’t the only busy ones this summer. Staten Island Academy was positively buzzing with activity, creating a state-of-the-art science prep room for the Lower and Middle School; installing wireless technology service and SMART boards; completely renovating the Art Barn, the entire second floor of Alumni Hall, and both music rooms in Haugen Hall.

“As we embark on another promising year on our newly refurbished campus, I’m delighted to welcome several new members of our faculty and staff,” says Diane J. Hulse, Head of School.

• In the Lower School, Mary Ann Carrion, who holds a Masters in early childhood education from Teachers College at Columbia University, will teach pre-kindergarten; Toni Ann Carbonara has returned to the Academy as the assistant kindergarten teacher; and Christine Wilhelm, whose background includes teaching overseas in Japan, will teach second grade science.
• In the Middle School, Keren Lilu, who holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware, will teach fourth grade science; and Ethan Pennington, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Education Studies from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, will teach Middle School English.
• David S. Zukas, a working artist whose background includes serving in the Peace Corps, will teach Middle and Upper School art.
• Kenneth F. Sinclair, who holds a Masters of Science degree in Secondary Science Education, will teach Advanced Placement Biology to the high school. Mr. Sinclair is currently completing his Ed. D. in School District Administration and Supervision at New York University.
• Denise Ciluffo will serve as both Upper School librarian and learning specialist, assisting students with research skills, Internet use and related issues.
• Evangelos Ginos, who has coached at both Packer and Buckley, will teach physical education.
• Maureen McShane, director of communications, has been promoted to director of institutional advancement.
• June-Marie Colasuonno, who will spearhead the annual auction, has been named director of annual giving.
• Alice Doyle, whose background includes more than a decade of experience in public relations, is director of special projects.

Four faculty members were the second annual recipients of the Academy’s Summer Professional Grants. Caren Platis, who teaches history, traveled to New Orleans in June where she studied the origins of jazz, architecture and the art of Cajun cooking. Clayton Wolney, science teacher, observed the exotic wildlife on the Galapagos Islands, Michael Bowler developed two companion books for Middle School history on the Civil War to present day and world history, respectively; and Edward Graban traveled to Montpelier, Provence and Paris to observe teachers speaking French.

The Academy will introduce a series of new academic initiatives including “Writing Across the Curriculum,” and the “Integrated Curriculum,” a ninth grade program whose goal will be to make connections in the classroom between a variety of subjects from classical times to the present, and then seize opportunities to visit relevant sites in Manhattan, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cloisters, St. Patrick’s, St. John the Divine and more.

Even the daily lunch menu has been enriched and expanded. Staten island Academy has been selected for CulinArt’s pilot program, Fresh & Healthy, which will offer a broad range of nutritious meals, snacks and beverages that meet the USDA’s new 2005 Food Guide Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Of course, the standard favorites will still be available.

Other delicious and fun-filled events include the upcoming annual “Welcome Back BBQ,” to be held Friday, September 9, 2005, at 6:30 P.M, and “Academy Day,” Saturday, October 22, 2005, from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

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For further information, please contact Alice Doyle at 718.303.7813 adoyle@statenislandacademy.org.