11 Nanuet Staff, Faculty Receive Tenure

After a long voting day, the Board of Education met for a brief meeting to discuss tenure. Each principal nominated their respective staff and faculty that they felt should receive tenure. After the Board approved all cases, Anne Byrne, Board president, presented each one with a certificate.

“It’s very hard to get tenure in this school district,” said Byrne. “The Board is very proud of all those that received tenure tonight. You really have to be the best of the best. I want to congratulate all of (them).”

Here are the 11 that received Tenure Tuesday night:

Steve Schlanger, Assistant Superintendent

Catherine Bento, Miller Elementary Psychologist

• "She had served both at the high school and Miller as a school psycologist. She was able to balance both positison for quite a while," said Miller Principal Betsy Smith. "She launched Kelso's Choice at Miller." Kelso's Choice is a frog character that teachers positive decision making.
• "She got out there and wanted to win them (the students) over and to this day, we have frogs all over the building. When a child needs her, she’s there for them."

 Erica Lissman, Elementary Reading Teacher.

• "Currently she’s worked at the middle school as a reading specialist as well as being a reading teacher at both elementaries," said Smith. "It’s wonderful to see the wonderful work she’s doing with the second graders."
• "She’s working on targeting things that the students need to be successful."

Tracy Kirschner, Music Teacher

• "Tracy has taught at Highview, Miller and at the high school, sometimes all on the same day," said Highview Principal Barbara Auriemma.
• "She has risen to every challenge we’ve given her."

Scott Foran, Special Education Teacher

• "I’ve seen Scott grow so much over the past four years," said Auriemma. "He started off as a very shy young man and he’s really grown."
• "He’s in with the action. Everything we ask him to do, he rises to the occasion. Scott wears many hats very well."

Margaret Denman, Special Education Teacher

• “She met every challenge with the same excellence,” said Barr Principal Roger Guccione. “She’s very creative, she’s willing to try new technologies.”
• “The kids can really relate what they’re learning with the outside world.”

Nikyta Jefferson, English Teacher

• “She’s been a wonderful addition to our English department,” said Guccione. “One of the main themes of the English department is ‘empathy.’ She’s used new literature to teach kids about ‘empathy.’
• “The students are able to relate what they’re reading to current events and make connections to real life with literature.”

Paul Moczarski, Physical Education Teacher

• “When he teachers physical education, he can bring it down to the level of a fifth grader or sixth grader and help them get better,” said Guccione. “There’s a whole plan for dieting and exercise for the kids that he’s started.”
• “There’s been music brought into the physical education classes to get the kids excited and he’s brought in dynamic stretching and strength training.”

Jennifer  Nilsson, Science Teacher

• “From the first time we watched Jen in the classroom, it was evident that she was a great teacher,” said Guccione. “She had a great presence of the classroom, great command of her subject matter and open to trying new ideas.”
• “When the tests came out, they realized that the visual literacy was not a strong point so she spearheaded teaching kids visual literacy and helping kids be able to interpret (charts and graphs).”

Alicia Ignarra, Foreign Language Teacher

• “She has a very strong work ethic, she’s very collegiate,” said High School Principal Vincent Carella. “She just wants to jump in and help.”
• “She went right from level 1 and 2 and into level 4. Alicia is also an advisor of class 2012”

Vincent Murphy, Special Education Teaching Assistant

• “He’s a 1-on-1 teaching assistant, a very good one,” said Carella. “He’s a man of few words, but it’s the unspoken things that Vinny Murphy will do with his students that really stand out.”
• “A lot of the time, good teaching assistants, a lot of the good work that they do goes unnoticed.”

Also, a 12th person received their certificate tonight although she already received Tenure in November 2010. Cynthia D'Aquino. She's an Instruction Technology Teaching Assistant.