With the Second Annual Teacher Appreciation issue, we wanted to express our gratitude on behalf of students, parents, administrators and colleagued for teachers who go above and beyond in the classroom.
The 14 educators who exemplify what it means to be a teacher:
Anissa Martin-Conyers
Subject: Language Arts/Social Studies
School: School 12, Paterson
Martin-Congers is committed to not only teaching students to read but learning to love to read. She is famous in School 12 and throughout Paterson for her “lap reads” on the carpet, where she becomes the characters in the books she cherishes.
Bernadette Jacobi
Subject: Explorations in Premedical Studies
School: Arthur L. Johnson High School, Clark
Jacobi pioneered the “Explorations” class to challenge higher-level science students who are interested in entering the medical fields.
Paige Schmiedeke
Subject: Kindergarten
School: Mountain Villa School, Allamuchy Township
Schmiedeke is the best introduction to school a newcomer can have as she goes out of her way to make her students feel comfortable in their new roles and prepares them for first-grade throughout the school year.
Brad Dragone
Subject: History
School: Lafayette Township School, Lafayette Township
Dragone takes history lessons to a whole new level, ditching the textbooks and opting for unconventional approaches including PowerPoint presentations and showing HBO’s min-series, John Adams, for a historically-accurate representation from the media.
Susan Ottogali
Subject: Technology
School: Franklin Borough School, Franklin
Ottogali embraces the fast-paced technology industry and instructs her students to do so as-well as having superior computer skills can be their greatest asset.
Teri Wilcox
Subject: ESL
School: Bryant Elementary School, Teaneck
Wilcox emigrated to the U.S. as a little girl and embraces her history as she teaches students new to the U.S. another language while going above and beyond outside the classroom to facilitate her students.
Joey Santiago
Subject: Art
School: Washington and Jefferson Elementary Schools, Hawthorne
Santiago recently moved from Hawthorne High School to the elementary schools where she was granted the opportunity to teach students with learning disabilities which she described as “one of the most rewarding experiences” of her career.
Gwen Bicskei
Subject: Pre-School
School: Walnut Ridge Primary School, Vernon
A parent thanks Bicskei for her support in the classroom and outside of school, as she bridged the gap between home and school life.
Laura Luizzi
Subject: Fifth-Grade
School: Pines Lake Elementary School, Wayne
A former student shares her gratitude for her fifth-grade teacher, who helped the new-to-the-area student overcome her fears and make new friends.
Bonnie DiCola
Subject: School Nurse
School: Cedar Hill Elementary, Montville Township
DiCola has been a Certified School Nurse for more than 37 years and implemented a Seeing-eye dog-raising club called 4-Footed Leaders.
Toni-Ann Raj
Subject: Media Specialist
School: Woodmont Elementary School, Montville Township
Raj enlists her students to make video-messages for those deployed service-men and women stationed around the globe.
Anthony Sia
Subject: Music
School: Montville Township High School
Sia founded the “School of Rock Club” which meets every day during lunch and on the weekends so students can learn all aspects of music.
David Polar and Barbara Carriere
Subject: Robotics Advisors
School: Montville Township High School
This dynamic-duo took the Robotics Team all the way to the championship, winning the 2015 VEX NJ State Championship.
