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Staten Island Academy Announces Winners of
Third Annual Excellence in Education Awards

April 3, 2008 – Staten Island Academy is pleased to announce the winners of its third annual Excellence in Education Awards. The five winners are Diana Aversa from Curtis High School, Lenora Gillerman from the Richard H. Hungerford School, Kenneth Gold from the College of Staten Island, Deborah McNally Yalango from Port Richmond High School and Joanne Teasdale from Blessed Sacrament School.

Each of the exceptional educators will receive a plaque and an honorarium of $1,500, which has been underwritten by the business sponsors who support the Excellence in Education program: Staten Island Advance , Knowledge Points, Northfield Savings Bank, Rogers Surveying, P.L.L.L. and Victory State Bank. Honorees will be recognized at a ceremony at Staten Island Academy at 3 PM on Sunday, May 4, 2008, the first day of National Teacher Appreciation Week.

Diana Aversa is the coordinator of the Curtis High School’s Human and Legal Studies Program. Besides teaching law classes, she organizes events for the 200+ students in the “Law House” including guest speakers from the legal and law enforcement world, and trips to court houses, correctional facilities, the Police Academy, colleges and universities, among others. She is the advisor for Curtis’ Moot Court and Mock Trial teams, past advisor for the Lincoln-Douglas Debate team, the liaison for the St. John’s High School Extension Program and a frequent chaperone for the school’s foreign exchange program. Amy Cilento, a member of Curtis’ Mock Trial team, said, “Ms. Aversa is a teacher, mentor and friend…who knows just how to create an environment that makes us comfortable sharing opinions, debating issues and coming to a consensus on ideas.” Assistant Principal Meridith Carter said that Ms. Aversa’s use of “discovery-based cooperative learning pushes students to think analytically and solve problems communally.”

Lenora Gillerman began her career in special education as a paraprofessional at the Richard H. Hungerford School. Eleven years and a master’s degree later, she now teaches a class of autistic students at Hungerford. “My daily goal is to prepare all students to their maximum potential,” said Mrs. Gillerman, “enabling them to become a contributing members of society and to be as independent as possible.” To this end, she works with each child on an individual education plan, maximizing strong points, minimizing weaknesses and focusing on reaching his/her unique potential. To accommodate the various learning styles of her students, Ms. Gillerman’s lessons build academic skills through music, art, dance, poetry and the use of technology such as Smartboards. Musicians, poets and artists visit her classroom, and her students regularly interact in the larger community through community service and programs such as Councilman McMahon’s CivicKids Initiative Campaign.

The chair of all programs in education at the College of Staten Island and an associate professor of education, Kenneth Gold teaches undergraduate and graduate education courses. One colleague said that “his intellectual, scholarly and civic commitment to the social and political forces that undergird American education sets a tone in his classes and encourages his student to inquire, analyze, and think critically themselves about, among other themes, the social purposes of schooling and the simultaneous pursuit of equity, excellence and choice in education.” He has taught history for 13 years and served as a role model and mentor for aspiring educators. He challenges his students to step outside their comfort zone to think critically about topics and listen carefully to different perspectives. Using techniques such as “the fishbowl” (in which part of the class listens as a small group takes center stage in the room for a conversation on an issue), Mr. Gold builds on his students’ skills to explore educational issues by looking within and “analyzing schools and society through a wide lens.”

Deborah McNally Yalango is an English Language Arts teacher and attendance coordinator at Port Richmond High School. She said “When I began working…my goal and purpose, I thought, was planning the best possible academic lessons for my students, and that is what I did. As time went on, though, I realized that there are many issues in today’s struggling world that make educating, and being educated, an immense challenge.” This realization prompted Ms. Yalango to become involved in programs to engage lower performing students, including The Literacy Program and The Ramp-Up Program, and eventually becoming a conflict resolution specialist. As the attendance coordinator at Port Richmond, she developed the At-Promise (A-P) program for students who for various reasons are struggling with attendance. “These are kids who want to be in school; they don’t want to be lazy; … they want to feel good about themselves; they don’t want to wake up in the morning and confront the emotional conflict…that keeps them from being able to focus long enough to learn.” Claire Gray, an A-P student, is grateful to Ms. Yalango because “Before I was transferred to the A-P program, I was a failing student, dangerously close to dropping out. I’ve been in Mrs. Yalango’s class only since October and already my grades are soaring.”

Joanne Teasdale, a Kindergarten teacher at Blessed Sacrament School, believes that “children will rise to the level of expectation.” And for 25 plus years, her young charges have not let her down. Marlene Boyd, the parent of a current and former student, nominated Mrs. Teasdale because “Each and every day, Mrs. Teasdale treats [her students] with respect for who they are and what she hopes they will become, the very critical thinkers that we all want in this world.” Using interdisciplinary/integrated thematic curriculum with hands-on activities, Mrs. Teasdale gives her Kindergarteners opportunities to “make decisions about their own learning and develop responsibility to take control of their own learning.” Mrs. Teasdale is the past recipient of the New York State Learning Technology Grant and the Best Buy Te@ch Award.

In addition to the five winners, Robert Gillis of the P25R Autism Program at P3 Annex received Honorable Mention.

Staten Island Academy Excellence in Education Awards honor educators who have taught their students to inquire, analyze and become critical thinkers; have encouraged their students to become ethical leaders; and have imparted to their students the joy of learning, achievement and discovering their own voices. A panel of distinguished judges assisted in the selection process: The Rev. James Seawood, pastor of Brighton Heights Reformed Church; Dr. Kenneth Popler, president of the Staten Island Mental Health Society; Elizabeth Egbert, executive director of the Staten Island Museum; Marie Hannafey, a retired teacher; MaryLee Montalvo, president of the Rotary Club of Staten Island and founding director of First Book Staten Island, George S. Anthony, a teacher at Susan E. Wagner High School, and Betsy Wilson, a teacher at the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility. Mr. Anthony and Mrs. Wilson are past recipients of Excellence in Education Awards in 2007 and 2006, respectively.

Staten Island Academy , located on a 12-acre campus, is a college-reparatory day school educating students from nursery school through high school. The Academy’s campus is composed of seven buildings, including a gymnasium and fitness center, theater and state-of-the-art computer facilities. Outdoors are two swimming pools, athletic fields, a playground and tennis courts.

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Press Contact: Maureen McShane, 718-303-7805, communication@statenislandacademy.org