Three Staten Island Teachers Win FLAG Award For Teaching Excellence – Grand Prize Winner From SI School

Three Staten Island Teachers Win FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence 

Total of 36 NYC Public School Teachers Recognized Across Five Boroughs with $400,000 in Prizes; First-Time Prize for Top Elementary School Educator

— Six Win $25,000 Each, Plus $10,000 Prize for their Schools; 

10 Finalists Win $10,000 Each, Plus $5,000 for their Schools; 20 Semifinalists win $1,000, Plus $1,000 for their Schools —

— Winning Teachers Transformed a Library into a Media Center, Incorporates Rap and Poetry into Lessons to Improve Stem Learning, Increased Grades by 50% Through a Student-Led Approach to Learning, and More —

Editor’s note: Staten Islander News covered when the FLAG Award added an additional $25,000 for personal use by the winner.  

(New York, N.Y.)—The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence announced 36 winners of the 5th annual awards program, including six grand prize winners—one from each borough of New York City and one from their new Pre-K to 5th-grade category—who represent the best public school teaching has to offer.

Staten Island’s grand prize winner is Staci Balice, a Library/Media teacher at Space Shuttle Columbia Public School 58. During the COVID lockdown, the library at her school was turned into storage space. When the school was ready to reopen the library, they asked Staci to transform it into a library and media center.

Despite her lack of tech experience and the fact that there were no computers or technology of any kind in the space, Staci jumped at the chance, and committed quickly to making the library/media space accessible and engaging for all students.  She embraced the evolving education landscape by integrating STREAM (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) enrichment into her curriculum. Read more about Staci below.

“Staci is an extraordinary individual and an exceptional teacher,” said Gregory Rocco, principal at Space Shuttle Columbia Public School 58. “She’s a highly skilled and effective educator, but her traits as a person are what really transform the kids, the school, and the people she touches.”

Other Staten Island winners include:

Semifinalist	Graziella Casale	PS 9 Naples Street Elementary Advertisement
Semifinalist	James Lavan	Tottenville High School

Other grand prize winners include Dr. Gifty Asamani, a science educator at High School for Math, Science, and Engineering in Manhattan; Emilie Jones, an English teacher at I.S. X303 Leadership & Community Service in the Bronx; Aaron Lober, a STEM educator at 28Q157 Halsey Middle School 157 in Queens; and Alicia Marcinkowski, an ENL/Art teacher at PS 120 in Queens, the recipient of a new award for Pre-K to 5th-grade educators.

Each grand prize winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize and their schools will receive $10,000. Additionally, 20 finalists and semifinalists will receive $10,000 and $1,000, respectively, for their personal use, with their schools receiving $5,000 and $1000, respectively.

“Public school teachers are unwaveringly dedicated to their students, and this year’s winners have truly exemplified this commitment,” said Glenn Fuhrman, Co-Founder of The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence.“We are excited to honor the outstanding educators who are devoted to enriching the lives of their students and ensuring that school experiences engage the next generation of global citizens,” added Amanda Fuhrman, Co-Founder.

The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence received nearly 1600 nominations from students, parents, principals, and colleagues. Thirty-six semifinalists were selected from the nominees, and they were required to complete a comprehensive application, participate in an interview process, which included an interview with their principal, and submit supplementary material.

“We are excited to celebrate this year’s extraordinary public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. And we are thrilled not just to reward these teachers for their extraordinary work, but also to support their schools through grants that fund arts education initiatives,” said Risa Daniels and Laura Twersky, Co-Presidents of The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence. Arts education is an area that is often underfunded in public schools.

An independent jury comprising education, community, and philanthropic leaders, including Dr. Betty A. Rosa, Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York, selected the winners based on criteria that placed emphasis on the student experience.

“Year-after-year we have the privilege and joy of recognizing and honoring extraordinary teachers who inspire students to learn. This year’s group of grand prize, finalist, and semifinalist educators have earned the Flag Award for Teaching Excellence through their commitment to students and their school communities in and out of the classroom,” said Dr. Betty A. Rosa.

Additional jury members include one of last year’s winners, Jessica Abrams, Michael Driskill, Chief Operating Officer, Math for America, Bob Hughes, Director, K-12 Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Nisa Mackie, The Edward John Noble Foundation Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement, MoMA.  You can learn more about the jury here https://flagaward.org/the-jury

About the Grand Prize Winners

Manhattan: Dr. Gifty Asamani, High School for Math, Science, and Engineering

Dr. Gifty Asamani, who has a Ph.D. in biology and teaches science at the selective High School for Math, Science, and Engineering, located on the campus of City College, is always looking for opportunities to elevate her students’ STEM experiences and interactions. Hands-on learning and exposure to real science is very important to Gifty. In the two short years she has been on staff, she has already built affiliations with Harlem DNA Lab, CUNY Advanced Research Center, NYC H20, BioBase, STEMMattersNYC, NSBE, and Rockefeller University to help students immerse themselves in STEM/STEAM activities that are not available at the school. She also reinvigorated a fireside speaker series, that had gone by the wayside, where students get to hear from professionals in STEAM careers including scientists, journalists, and artists.

But what might get her students most excited is her approach to teaching, which incorporates the arts into the sciences. For example, she asks students to write a rap about the functions of cells. Her students have also presented group science projects where they wrote and performed poems to jazz and country music. She believes it helps her students remember scientific terms and concepts, rather than just memorizing them. She credits her teaching style to being a constant learner, including learning from her students and participating in learning opportunities, including traveling to the Berlin Biennale and Documenta (in Kassel) as an Astor Fellow to study contemporary arts and its role in education. Recently, she also traveled with a group of New York City teachers to Gambia as an official guest of the President and Educational Commissioner of the country to establish the “Teacher of the Year” award to celebrate outstanding teachers.

Brooklyn: Kelly Preston, Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women

Kelly Preston teaches social studies at the all-girls middle and high school, Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women. A few years ago, in response to student feedback, she redesigned the social studies curriculum, highlighting more diverse perspectives and subjects and moving from a teacher lecture structure to one that enables student-led learning. In one year, this resulted in a 50% increase in test scores on the Global History Regents.

She believes this is her greatest strength as an educator—to plan engaging, rigorous lessons that focus on artifact analysis and student collaboration. As the instructional lead for the social studies department, she has helped spread this approach throughout the department and the broader school community. Alongside social studies, she promotes civic engagement among students and is the supervisor for the school’s Youth Leadership Council where a group of students successfully advocated City Council members, securing a $90,000 grant to support the Safe Passage anti-violence program, which ensures that children make it home safely after school.

She stressed that these accomplishments are attributable to her students, and she is just “providing the space and the someone believing in you that lets you rise to this.” Additionally, her interest in civics has led to a position on the Teacher Leadership Board for Generation Citizen where she provides a teacher perspective for civics-related initiatives that Generation Citizen is implementing nationally.

Bronx: Emilie Jones, I.S. X303 Leadership & Community Service

Emilie Jones is an 8th grade ELA teacher whose driving force is making sure students see themselves in the classroom.  That has led her to create the student-led passion project that started with a simple question to students: “If you could learn anything in school, what would it be?”

That question led to a two-month curriculum where students picked a research topic, built a website, created their own research project schedule and benchmarks, shared their passions with their parents, peers, and teachers, and reflected on their learning. To ensure that student voices are heard, she also runs a student advisory group, amplifies student voice in the classroom through student driven podcasts and digital portfolios, and encourages students to become change-makers in their communities.

She too takes the change-maker role seriously: passionate about diversity and inclusion, Emilie is a tireless advocate for LGBTQ+ representation and acceptance. From writing LGBTQ+ curriculum for the DOE to spearheading initiatives like the LAMBDA Literary Program and the Pride Club, she creates safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth. She also serves on the Instructional Leadership Team, the Principal’s Planning Team, and the International Baccalaureate Committee, shaping the school’s academic direction and fostering a globally minded educational environment. Additionally, Emilie is the director of the popular drama department, which counts a whopping third of students in the school as participants.

Staten Island: Staci Balice, Space Shuttle Columbia Public School 58

Staci Balice is an elementary school Library/Media teacher.  During the COVID lockdown the library at her school was turned into storage space. When the school was ready to reopen the library, they asked Staci to transform it into a library and media center. Despite her lack of tech experience and the fact that there were no computers or technology of any kind in the space, Staci jumped at the chance and committed quickly to making the library/media space accessible and engaging for all students.  She embraced the evolving education landscape by integrating STREAM (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) enrichment into her curriculum. Now, students read hard copy books and create related digital media projects to advance their digital literacy. Through collaboration with school administration and tireless advocacy for resources, Staci has transformed the library curriculum to include media education and has been working to build out a STREAMing space set to debut in the fall.

Staci has advanced digital literacy—and students’ tech experiences—by forging partnerships, including with LEGO Education, with the goal of incorporating hands-on, playful learning centers in standards-aligned lessons in science, engineering, and technology. One of her most proud accomplishments was founding her school’s Girls Who Code chapter, which helps address girls’ low STEM participation.  Just two years after founding the 20-member chapter, her students earned first place as the sole all-female team at the Battle of the Boroughs Minecraft Challenge.

Queens: Aaron Lober, 28Q157 Halsey Middle School 157

Despite his background in special education and English education, Aaron Lober seized the opportunity to become a middle school STEM educator, learning JavaScript, Bootstrap Science, and Python and pursing a second master’s degree in computer science education.

He has spearheaded the establishment of the STEM department at his school, and works with Exploring Equity in Computer Science (EECS) to craft STEM curriculum for the district. One of his notable projects delves into the history of coding where students learn about overlooked pioneers in coding and engineering while also conducting critical reflection on identity, stereotypes, and historical narratives.

Aaron’s commitment to student-centered education is evident in his proactive approach to understanding each student’s preferred support methods, and his unique way of integrating Social-Emotional Learning into the STEM curriculum. Aaron prioritizes experiential learning, demonstrated through initiatives like creating a hydroponic farm in his classroom to educate students on food scarcity and sustainable farming practices.

Beyond the classroom, Aaron organizes and sustains various in-school clubs and summer programs including the Halsey Robotics Team and App-making Program, including one with NASA. Furthermore, he advocates for STEM integration across disciplines, and is currently working on a proposal to the DOE for the inclusion of a mandatory STEM course for subject teachers. Realizing that many of his students couldn’t afford summer camps or wouldn’t get into the DOE’s random lottery summer program, Aaron started a free summer program where he teaches various STEM related courses on his school’s campus.

New Award, PreK-5th Grade: Alicia Marcinkowski, PS 120, Queens

Alicia Marcinkowski is an ENL/Art teacher at an elementary school. Her school has a significantly large ELL (English Language Learner) population, so the ENL (English as New Language) teacher has a significant role to play. Alicia is more than up for the job. During the pandemic, she started teaching ENL through the lens of art history, culminating in a corresponding weekly art project during which students created art in the style of the artist being studied. The program was so successful with the students that post-pandemic, her principal asked her to turn this into a class curriculum. Rather than pushing into classroom or pulling students out to provide ENL lessons, she now has her own classes where she uses her innovative curriculum. Students say that being in class with Alicia is the best part of their day.  Better yet, students who have stalled in learning English found renewed interest through Alicia’s ENL/Art class.

Her ENL program is the only one of its kind, but she would love to expand to other schools. Outside of the classroom she is involved in several committees at the school including Lead Teacher on the Social Committee, the leader of the Cluster inquiry team and a member of the Instructional Leadership and Equity team. She is a certified mentor to other teachers and students at St. John’s University and Adelphi University.

Alicia is a participant in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Professional Learning Community which includes workshops during the summer and on Saturdays. She has organized several field trips for her students there, including a school-wide trip with families for the Lunar New Year Festival.

About the FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence

The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence award, founded by Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, recognizes and celebrates extraordinary public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. This award is funded by The FLAG Foundation for Excellence in Education and by The Fuhrman Family Foundation. It is administered by co-presidents, Risa Daniels and Laura Twersky.

Banner Image: Staten Island grand prize winner Staci Balice. Image Credit – FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence