Educators of Excellence

Elementary
Rebecca Quackenbush
Chester Union Free School District

Middle
Emilia Dakis
Levittown School District

Jennifer Hohner
South Huntington School District

Carolyn Kirwan
Uniondale Union Free School District

Joseph LaTorre
Oceanside Middle School

Amy Mascunana
South Huntington School District
Tara O’Gorman Yonkers Public School

Catherine Pallmeyer
Baldwin School District

Erica Parris
Huntington Union Free School District

Nicole Spinelle
Bay Shore Schools

Shannon Cumberbatch
Uniondale Union Free School District

Secondary
Theresa Baker
Goshen Central School District

Elizabeth Barbulean
Monroe-Woodbury Central School District

Erika Bogdany
District 18 Brooklyn NY

Marilyn Brozycki
Warwick Central School District

Kelly Cooke Pine
Bush Central School District

Christopher D’Ippolito
Mount Pleasant Central School District

Christina DelSignore
Herricks High School

Carolyn Herman-Loh
Pawling Central School District

Diana Liu
New York City Public Schools

Antoinette Oakes
Valley Central Central School District

Christine Park
New York City Public Schools

Jeanne Rose
Cornwall Central School District

Yamilka Roque
The Brearley School

Tina Tamweber
Arlington Central School District

LaMar Timmons-Long
NYC Board of Ed: ATech High School

Brandi Weidman
Niskayuna Central School District

Nickeisha Wilson
Hempstead Union Free School District

College
Dr. Limarys Caraballo
Teachers College Columbia University

Kathleen C. Colantonio-Yurko
State University of New York at Brockport

Darshna Katwala
Nassau County Community College

Rae Muhlstock
State University of New York at Albany

Dr. Robert Yagelski
State University of New York at Albany

Collaborators of Excellence

Brooke Dickson and Aaron Kanofsky
New Lebanon Central School District

Diana Liu and Sandhya Seshan
New York City Public Schools

Erin Piotrowski and Daniel Lewis
Questar III and Hudson Valley Community College’s Stem High School

Brandon Shenkman
Jacob Burns Film Center and Media Arts Lab

Lauren Vuocolo and Emily Curcio
Hyde Park Central School District

Danielle Wilson and Adam Cox
Saratoga Springs City School District

Early Career Scholarship Award

Jongsang Ahn
LaGuardia Community College

Melanie Leonard
Questar III BOCES

Angela Tarricone
Spencerport Central School District

Library Media Specialist of Excellence

Bernie Bott
Guilderland Central School District

Britt Buckenroth
New Lebanon Central School District

Kristen Finno
Mount Pleasant Central School District

Melissa Gergen
Guilderland Central School District

Rosemarie Pray
South Huntington Schools

Susan Teeter
South Huntington School District

Paula Trapani
Lawrence Road Middle School

NYSEC Fellow Award

Holly Spinelli
Monroe-Woodbury Central School District

Program of Excellence

Timothy Fitzmaurice
The Albany Academies – The Writing Center

Ruth Everett Award

Carolan Khottavong
Uniondale Union Free School District

Article of the Year

Jennifer Lockhart McHugh
SUNY Albany

Collaborators of Excellence

Chelsea Dyer, Shannon Spollen & Emily Mack Hass
East Greenbush CSD & Voorheesville CSD

Leah Werther, Kristin Richard, & Amber DeSimony
Niskayuna CSD

Julie Cox, Rebecca Goldfisher, Zoe McLaughlin, Roni Mitchell, Kevin Wolpert, Jen Plourde, & Shane Zanetti
Saratoga Springs CSD

Jean Kerr & Catherine Eisele
SUNY Polytechnic Institute Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Creative Writing Award

Chiho Kekita & Freya Griffin
Shenendowa CSD

Ayesha Taj-Hewlettt
Woodmere CSD

Christianna Percy
Hewlettt-Woodmere CSD

Ava Maffei
North Shore CSD

Early Career Scholarship Award

Kristina Bardes
Wappingers CSD

Maja DeGaray
Selkirk CSD

Educators of Excellence

Middle School

Michele Ehlerman
Lee-Uniondale UFSD

Kristine Santarpia
Uniondale UFSD

Patricia Ninivaggi
Old Bethpage CSD

Secondary

Kris Scuccimarra
Carmel CSD

Tina DeFabio
Ballston Spa CSD

Lori Indemaio
Bay Shore CSD

Emily LaGiglia
Northport UFSD

Dr. Sheeba Varkey
Uniondale UFSD

College

Thor Gibbons
SUNY Oneonta

Library Media

Sarah Rhodes
SUNY Oneonta

Mary Knopp
Mt. Plesant CSD

Michele Sherman
Monroe Woodbury CSD

Melinda Crowley
Guilderland CSD

NYSEC Fellow Award

Christine Zandstra
Wappingers CSD

Ruth Everett Award

Stacy Locurto
Keener Uniondale UFSD

Educators of Excellence Winners

Administration

Matina Stergiopoulos
Plainview-Old Bethpage
John F. Kennedy High School

Secondary

James Casey
John Jay High School

Donna McAndrews
Niskayuna High School

Lucille Ogden
Arlington High School

Amy O’Leary
Roy C. Ketcham High School

Megan Rivelli
Monroe Woodbury High School

Sydney Valerio
North Rockland High School

Beth Wagner
Hewlett High School

Robin Zisa
Guilderland High School

Middle

Nancy Czachor
Van Antwerp Middle School

Martha Santana
Isaac E. Young Middle School

Collaborators of Excellence

Leanne Donelan & Michael Kats
Saratoga Pathways Academy

Rachel Quattrocchi & Elizabeth Rooney
Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School

English Record Article of the Year

“Humanizing our World: Studying Graffiti with Fourth Graders”
Melissa League Hotaling
Ted Kesler
The City University of New York

Creative Writing Awards

Short Fiction/Creative Non- Fiction

Tina Pathak
Herricks High School
Grade 11
“The Roadblocks of a Mind-Map”

Caroline Lau
Herricks High School
Grade 11
“Valuing All Parts of our Identity”

Poetry

Aieshah Ashfer
Herricks High School
Grade 11
“veetil”

Vivian Huang
Herricks High School
Grade 10
“the classroom is our rainforest”

Educators of Excellence Winners

Administration

Mark Brooks
Broadalbin-Perth High School

Pam Motler
Ballston Spa Middle School

College

Dr. Marie-Therese C. Sulit
Mount St. Mary College

Secondary

Daniel Callahan, Jr.
West Genessee High School

Vivian DiGennaro
John F. Kennedy High School

Gary Gnirrep
Guilderland High School

Jennifer Greco
Wellington C. Mepham High School

Jessica Hunter
Syosset High School

Christina Pepe
Shenendehowa High School

Brittany Ruisi
Herricks High School

Theresa Walter
Great South Neck High School

Middle

Kerry Chapman
Stimson Middle School

John Iorio
Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School

Christine Krowles
H.B. Mattlin Middle School

Elementary

Jennifer Abramowitz
Jackson Annex Elementary School

Diane Bologna
Jackson Main Elementary School

Bernadette Johnson
Barack Obama Elementary School

Michelle Pineda
David Paterson Elementary School

Janine Sloth
Kinry Road Elementary School

Victoria Suarez
Brookhaven Elementary School

Debbie Rosenquist
Terryville Road Elementary School

Teresea Hewitt
Helen B. Duffield Elementary School

Collaborators of Excellence

Donna Scully & Lina Seaton
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School

Michaela Caruso & Meghan Bleakley
Monroe-Woodbury High School

Early Career Scholarships

Adam Biggs
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School

Carolyn Blanchard
Westlake Middle School

Caitlyn Fagan
Broadalbin-Perth Middle School

Dominick Mayo
Roy C. Ketcham High School

Ruth Everett Award

April Charleson
J.W. Leary Junior High

Mini-Grant Winners

Amy Eckelman
Watson Elementary School

Patricia Rand
Clarkson University

Mary Donnelly
Grand Avenue Middle School

Scott Storm
Harvest Collegiate High School

Creative Writing Awards

Short Fiction

Paige Meschon
Schalmont High School
Grade 11
“Untitled”

Poetry

Joanna Chen
Guilderland High School
Grade 9
“remember the stars of the lost”

English Record Article of the Year

“Learning Alongside Them: About Student Choice and Modern-Day Slavery”
Jacqueline Hesse
Excelsior Academy
Newburgh Enlarged City School District

Programs of Excellence

Bridges
Oceanside School District and
Uniondale Union Free School District

Levittown Literacy Center
Levittown Schools

The Body Electric
South Huntington Schools

Schenectady Smart Scholars Early
College High School
Schenectady City School District

Building World-Class Leaders at Wyandanch Elementary Schools
Wyandanch Union Free School District

Educators of Excellence Winners

Administration

Katie Ralston
Cuba-Rushford Middle School

Gloria Dingwall
Dryden Street School

Joann Hili-Carbone
South Huntington UFSD

College

Joellen Maples
St. John Fisher College

Sandy Strock
Siena College

Secondary

Tanya Cestaro
Sanford H. Calhoun High School

Jennifer De Lisi-Hall
Irvington High School

Heather Flood
Maple Hill High School

Lacey Gardner
Whitesville Central School

Diane Geurin
Guilderland High School

Jaclyn Lein
Island Trees High School

Ross Marvin
Schuylerville High School

Sarah Mattice
Schalmont High School

Alycia Spraker
Broadalbin-Perth High School

Christine Zandstra
Roy C. Ketcham High School

Middle

Ryan Kenny
Northport Middle School

Anne Klingle
New World Prep Charter School

Rebecca Levy
Grand Avenue Middle School

Brendan McGowan
Finley Middle School

Tina Varughese
Ballston Spa Middle School

Elementary

Dr. Toni Ann Barone
Plaza Elementary School

Angela Berner
Huntington UFSD

Nancy Longenberger
James S. Evans Elementary School

Collaborators of Excellence

Kelly Baldwin & Debra Cavaliere
Northport High School

Todd Hyman & Tom Lee
Monroe-Woodbury High School

Theresa Lewis, John Balet & Matthew Golglowski
Clean Technologies Early College High School

Chris McNulty & Anthony Simiele
Ballston Spa Middle School

Kay O’Rourke-Kowalski & Carmela Gustafson
Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School

Early Career Scholarships

Matthew Hodges
Monroe-Woodbury High School

Yvanna Persaud
High School for Media and Communications

Programs of Excellence

Ethical Issues in Science (Bioethics)
Campbell-Savona Jr./Sr. High School
Campbell-Savona CSD

The Uncommon Community Reading Program (TUCCR)
Morris Central School
Morris CSD

Peer Responder Mentors Program
Manhasset Secondary School
Manhasset UFSD

Mini-Grant Winners

Sara Fleming
Westhill High School

Adam Kinory
The School of the Future

Terri Weiss
Hudson Valley Writing Project

English Record Article of the Year

“Using Critical Literacy to Frame Students’ Interactions with Complex Texts”
Dr. Salika Lawrence, Medgar Evers College & Tiffany Labissiere, Literacy Coach, NYC

Educators of Excellence Winners

College

Darshna Katwala
Nassau Community College

Dr. Roberta Levitt
LIU Post

Administration
Maryann Stoorvogel – Pine Plains CSD

Elementary
Elaine Monahan – Brookside Elementary School

Middle
Aidan Byrne
Baldwin Middle School

Michael Dlugozima
Merrick Avenue Middle School

Nancy Ebel
Bulkeley Middle School

Joanna Gentile
Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School

Alan Schwartz
Great Neck South Middle School

Secondary

Alyssa Dembek
New Rochelle High School

Julia Fernandez
Briarcliff High School

Dr. Shehnaz Khalfan-Washington –
Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health & Science Charter School

Chris Mazura
Guilderland High School

Marilyn Norton
Roy C. Ketcham High School

Elizabeth Sherwood
Northport High School

Pamela Uruburu
Northport High School

Erica Wagner-O’Rourke
W.C. Mepham High School

25 Years of Service to NYSEC

Victor Jaccarino

Programs of Excellence Winners

Team ORCHID Newsroom
Plaza Elementary School, Baldwin UFSD

The Writer’s Block
Ward Melville High School, Three Village CSD

Big Ideas for Little Kids
Oceanside HS & Oceanside ES, Oceanside CSD

Envisions – Critical Writing and Research
Westlake High School, Mt. Pleasant CSD

Berner One School, One Book Initiative
Berner Middle School, Massapequa CSD

Collaborators of Excellence Winners

Rob Irwin & Matt Holbrook
Monroe-Woodbury High School

Kimberly Ruppel & Colleen Ottalagano
Guilderland High School

Dr. Ruth E. Everett Award Winner

Frank Adamo
Iroquois Middle School, Niskayuna CSD

Mini-Grant Winners

Peter Khost
Stonybrook University

Christopher Mazura
Guilderland High School

Early Career Scholarship Winners

Kaitlin Blumberg
Monroe-Woodbury High School

Katelyn Maroney
Mineola High School

Krystal Haight
Westlake Middle School

Rina Hartigan
Plaza Elementary School

English Record Article of the Year

“Teaching Writing Hope for a Just Writing Society”
Dr. Nicole Sieben, SUNY Old Westbury

Educators of Excellence Winners

Administration

Valarie Karas
Ballston Spa School District

Steven Gilhuley
Malverne Union Free School District

Lucille Iconis
Massapequa Public Schools

Dr. Cynthia Seniuk
North Merrick School District

Beth Zirogiannis – Oceanside School District

Elementary

Maryann Cockerill
Massapequa Public Schools

Kathleen Sokolowski
Farmingdale Public Schools

Kelly Mackay
Baldwin School District

Middle

Debra Villano
Island Trees School District

Kathryn Dodd
Amityville Union Free School District

Kathleen Fenn
Pine Plains Central School District

Kendra Fingerhut
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School

Anna DeMartino
Sewanhaka Central High School District

Brett Schwartz
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Tabatha Stillwell
Malone Central School District

Janine Katsigiorgis
Amityville Union Free School District

Secondary

Jennifer Levin
Northport-East Northport Schools

Danielle Benner
Guilderland Central School District

Brooke Dickson
New Lebanon Central School District

Sarah Fleming
Westhill School District

Anastasia Caputo
Malverne Union Free School District

Cheryl Meany
Baldwinsville Central School District

Louis Ventura
Olean City School District

Andrew Maycock
Guilderland Central School District

Ricki Mazzella
Marlboro Central School District

Jolene Morielli-Russo
New Rochelle Public Schools

Lianne Bellinger
Sewanhaka Central High School District

Samantha Fishman
Briarcliff Manor School District

Laura Sheridan-Carbone
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Rebecca Fiske
Malone Central School District

Susan Chappell
Monroe-Woodbury Central School District

Programs of Excellence Winners

The Canterbury Tale Parody
Skaneateles Central School District

Massapequa High School Media Studies Program
Massapequa Public Schools

Writing and Filmmaking
City School District of New Rochelle

Speak Truth to the Power Research Film Unit
Skaneateles Central School District

Collaborators of Excellence Winners

Jennifer Frasca and Laura Trongard
Oceanside School District

Kristin Petersen and Jennifer Rabie
Massapequa Public Schools

Amy Scognamillo and Amy Nardone
Bay Shore Schools

Tom Durkin and Michelle McNeight
Briarcliff Manor School District

Dr. Ruth E. Everett Award Winner

Beth Schneider
The City College Academy of the Arts

Mini-Grant Winners

Kjersti Vanslyke-Briggs & Marissa Orezzoli
Sydney Central School District

Ellen Brooks
Hunter College-CUNY

Reinaldo Latorre
Amityville Union Free School District

Stephen Sorensen
Olean City School District

Article of the Year – English Record – Winner

Michelle Bulla
Monroe-Woodbury Central School District

Fellow Award

Erik Sweet
New York State Education Department

Educators of Excellence Winners

College

Dr. Wendy Galgan
St. Francis College
Dr. Jacqueline George
SUNY New Paltz

Administration

David Bernsley
Monroe-Woodbury High School

Melinda Murdock
Riverside Elementary School

Elementary

Stephanie Brown
Silas Wood 6th Grade Center

Jillian Coster
Miller Avenue School

Suzanne Johnson
Riverside Elementary School

Debra Iannelli
Morris Central School

Glenna Raskin
Fairfield Elementary School

Lisa Levenson
Park Avenue School

Middle

Jamie De Leon
The Laboratory School for Finance and Technology

Kea Grabinski
Westbury Middle School

Grace Hazenbush
Linden Avenue Middle School

Meredith Levine
Grand Avenue Middle School

Amanda Steele
Island Trees Memorial Middle School

Kayla Witman
Waverly Middle School

Secondary

Stephanie Buckhout
Putnam/ Northern Westchester BOCES

Linda Ciaffone
Floral Park Memorial High School

Rachel Cook
Norwood-Norfolk Central School

Christopher DiLeo
Marlboro Central High School

Kevin Dineen
Commack High School

Carol Durkin
Monroe-Woodbury High School

Maria Favre
Ward Melville High School

Corinna Heggen
Schenectady High School

Thomas Kenney
Briarcliff High School

Marissa Lattanzio
The Laboratory School for Finance and Technology

John Mitchell
Shoreham-Wading River High School

Alison Paley
Ballston Spa Central School District

Tracy Pontin
Schalmont High School

Claudia Rudnet
Mineola High School

Amy Salamone
Guilderland High School

Daniel Sheffield
John F. Kennedy High School

Sally Ventura
Olean High School

Marjorie Vigliotti
Oyster Bay High School

Programs of Excellence Winners

College Essay Workshop Night
Massapequa High School
Massapequa CSD

Senior Experience
Calhoun High School & Mepham High School
Bellmore-Merrick CSD

Collaborators of Excellence

Michael Laterza
Westlake High School

Vincent Iovane
Westlake High School

Patti Brown
Olean High School

Stephen Sorensen
Olean High School

Yornell Aguiar
Oceanside High School

Kathleen Holden
Oceanside High School

Jason Manning
Oceanside High School

Todd Nussen
Oceanside High School

Dr. Ruth E. Everett Award Winner

Lori Lebel
Schenectady High School

Mini-Grant Winners

Dara Rhodes
Milford Central School

Julene Waffle
Morris Central School

2022 Sara Taveniere Moy
2019 Michelle Peterson-Davis
2018 Louisa Kramer-Vida
2017 Michelle G. Bulla
2016 Erik Sweet
2015 Janet Matthews
2014 Dr. Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs
2013 Paul O’Brien
2012 Lawrence Butti
2011 Patti Rand
2010 Donna Meister
2009 Susan P. Kelly
2008 John Harmon
2007 Donna Kemp
2006 Lillian Turner
2005 Barbara Searle
2004 Judith Rothstein
2003 Jill Vickers
2002 Susan Goldberg
2001 Victor Jaccarino
2000 Jacqueline Marino
1999 Natalie Robisch
1998 Jane Richards
1997 Nancy Zuwiyya
1996 Rosalie Rafter
1995 Roseanne DaFabio
1994 Kenneth Gambone
1993 Frank Hodge

1992 Cecelia Kingston
1990 Jerome Greenberg, Ann Gebhard
1989 Barbara Aitken
1988 Joanne Wallace
1986 John Andola
1985 Charles R. Chew
1984 Carol Jamieson, Robert Spencer Johnson
1983 C. J. Calitri
1981 Grace Larkin
1980 Anita Dore
1979 Ouida Clapp, Elouise Courter, M. Drabkin
1978 Jerome Green
1977 Sally Ann Milgrim, Alan Nelson
1976 Anthony Mangione
1975 Martha Hatch
1974 Morris Finder, Patrick Kilburn, J.S. Sherwin
1973 Daniel Casy, Sheila Schwartz
1972 Margaret Early, Emmanuel Raff
1971 John C. Flahwe, Dennis Hannan
1970 Ruth E. Everett, Robert Squires
1969 Rev. John V. Curry, Jane Borst, Robert Carruthers
1968 Mary Dedie, M. L’Amoreaux, Erwin Palmer
1967 David Manly, E. Mitchell
1966 Mary Foley, Milacent G. Ocvirk, Robert Rounds
1965 Hans Gottschalk, James Lanz
1964 Marguerite Driscoll, Margaret Dwyer, Rosemary Wagner
1963 Richard Corbin, Earl Harlon, Genevieve Heffron
1962 Elizabeth Drake, Strang Lawson, Joseph E. Mersand