Staten Island’s Outstanding Teachers Appreciated At Ceremony By Senator Andrew Lanza
SENATOR LANZA TO HOST ANNUAL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY TO HONOR OUTSTANDING TEACHERS FROM ACROSS STATEN ISLAND
455 Huguenot Avenue
Staten Island, New York 10312
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
SENATOR LANZA HOSTS ANNUAL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY TO HONOR OUTSTANDING TEACHERS FROM ACROSS STATEN ISLAND
Staten Island, New York– New York State Senate Deputy Minority Leader Senator Andrew J. Lanza hosted his Annual Teacher Appreciation and Recognition Ceremony to honor outstanding teachers from Staten Island. Private, Public, and Religious affiliated schools participated in this event to show appreciation for their teachers.
Our teachers deserve special recognition for their roles in education and preparing our children for the future. Our teachers work tirelessly to prepare students for their educational careers and to establish learning spaces that help students grow and discover their dreams and goals for the future.
“Besides your parents, no one more profoundly impacts your life than a teacher. We carry the blessings of our teachers with us every single day. I believe that the great work our teachers do every day is the best chance that we have for a better future. We need teachers who teach us not what to think, but how to think so that as each generation goes forward, they will be prepared to think for themselves. “-Senator Lanza.
Principals from each participating school selected a teacher to be honored for their hard work and dedication to their students and school community.
The ceremony occurred on Wednesday, June 24th, at 4:00 pm at I.S. 75 – Frank D. Paulo School, 455 Huguenot Avenue, Staten Island, New York 10312
The Teachers Honored for the 2026 Annual Teacher Appreciation Day are:
| School: | Teacher: | Grade/Subject: |
| Blessed Sacrament School | Lisa Armento | Grade 1 All Subjects |
| Bridge Preparatory Charter School | Diana McKenna | Grade 2 |
| Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School | Adam Beitchman | High School Special Education |
| I.S. 2 The George L. Egbert School | Stefanie Cimei | Grades 6-8 Dance |
| I.S. 7 The Elias Bernstein School | Michele Ferrante | Technology |
| I.S. 24 The Myra S. Barnes School | Lisa Decicco-Bizzarro | Grade 7 Social Studies |
| I.S. 27 The Anning S. Prall School | Michele Iacobelli | NEST |
| I.S. 49 The Berta A. Dreyfus School | Antonella Caccioppoli | Grade 6 |
| I.S. 51 The Edwin Markham School | Jennifer Wheeler | Grade 6 ELA |
| I.S. 61 The William A. Morris School | Barbara Pessolano | Grade 7 Math |
| I.S. 61 The William A. Morris School | Timothy Clark | Grade 7 Math |
| I.S. 75 The Frank D. Paulo School | Lauren Blackton | Grade 7 Math |
| James P. Murphy Staten Island Preparatory School of AHRC NYC | Arijeta Demirovic | Ungraded School-Age / Special Education (Behavior Trainer) |
| Lavelle Preparatory Middle Charter School | Dilek Guven | Grade 6 Math |
| Marsh Avenue School For Expeditionary Learning | Jamie McGeady | Grade 8 Math |
| Miraj Islamic Early Elementary School | Aliaa Kamil | Foreign Language & Religious Studies |
| Miraj Islamic Elementary School | Hajar Wahba | Grade 2 |
| Miraj Islamic Middle School | Saima Qureshi | Science |
| Miraj Islamic High School | Nariman Gad | Math |
| Monsignor Farrell High School | Lazzaro DiPietro | Foreign Language |
| Moore Catholic High School | Amanda Sorrentino | Grades 9/10/12 Italian 1, AP US Government & Politics/Economics, College Psychology, College Sociology, Government 12/Economics |
| New Dorp High School | Agatha Martino | Grades 9-12 Italian |
| New World Preparatory Charter School | Caitlin Esposito | Grade 1 |
| New World Preparatory Charter School | Dora Mastoros | Grade 3 |
| Notre Dame Academy Elementary School | Amanda Synan | Grade 1 |
| Notre Dame Academy High School | Ann Marie Nacchio | Grade 9 Performing Arts |
| P.S. 1 The Tottenville School | Joseph Soccoa | STREAM |
| P.S. 3 The Margaret Gioiosa School | Vickie Jacobs | Grade 4 |
| P.S. 5 The Huguenot School | Alexa Catania | Grade 3 |
| P.S. 8 The Shirlee Solomon School | Caryn Calafiore | Grade 4 |
| P.S. 11 The Thomas Dongan School | Caitlyn Peccerillo | Grade 3 |
| P.S. 16 The John J. Driscoll School | Jessica Vega | Special Ed |
| P.S. 19 The Curtis School | Alycia Vincent | Pre K |
| P.S. 20 The Port Richmond School | Joseph Lanza | Physical Education |
| P.S. 21 The Margaret Emery-Elm Park School | Siobhan Cintula | Grade 1 |
| P.S. 22 The Graniteville School | Melissa Brandner | Grade 5 |
| P.S. 23 The Richmondtown School | Carol Saldi | Pre K |
| P.S./I.S. 25 South Richmond High School | Mia Marinaccio | Grade 6-8 Art/Drama |
| P.S./I.S. 26 The Carteret School | Eileen Deserio | Grade 6 Math & Science |
| P.S. 29 The Bardwell School | Renee Marrocco | Kindergarten |
| P.S. 31 The William T. Davis School | Admira Hernandez | Grade 3 |
| P.S. 36 The J.C. Drumgoole School | Theresa Morgante & Kristen DiFede | Grade 2 ICT |
| P.S. 45 The John Tyler School | Elaine Portillo | Grade 3 Special Education |
| P.S./I.S. 48 The William G. Wilcox School | Diane Ziel | Grade 1 |
| P.S. 53 The Barbara Esselborn School | Beth Yohananov | Art |
| P.S. 54 The Charles W. Leng School | Denise Dicks | Science |
| P.S. 55 The Henry M. Boehm School | Stacy Argenziano | Art / All Grades |
| P.S. 56 The Louis Desario School | Carina Sosa | Special Education K,1,2 |
| P.S. 57 The Hubert H. Humphrey School | Eileen Seybuck | Grade 2 Special Education |
| P.S. 58 The Space Shuttle Columbia School | Courtenay Blumenberg | Grade 1 General Education |
| P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning | Leigh Milazzo | Grade 5 |
| P.S. 68 Port Richmond School For Visionary Learning | Rozina Vazquez | Kindergarten |
| P.S. 69 The Daniel D. Tompkins School | Tami Ritzer | Grade 5 |
| P.S. 74 Future Leaders Elementary School | Diane Anselmo | Civics for All |
| P.S. 78 The Stapleton Lighthouse Community School | Erica Gizunterman | Grade 5 ELA/Special Education |
| Port Richmond High School | Daniel DeFazio | English |
| Ralph R. McKee Career And Technical Education High School | Kristen Piscopo | Grades 9/10 Earth & Space Science |
| Saint Joseph by the Sea High School | Joseph Albanese | History HS |
| Saint Joseph Hill Academy Elementary School | Johanna Catella | Grade 8 Algebra |
| Saint Joseph Hill Academy High School | Christina Mistretta | Grade 9 Religion, Grade 10 Chemistry |
| St. Teresa-St. Rita STREAM Academy | Gloria Sperrazza | Grade 7 Homeroom: Grades 6, 7, & 8 Math & Grade 7 Religion |
| Staten Island Technical High School | James McCarthy | Physical Education – All Grades |
| Susan E. Wagner High School | James Miller | Grade 10 Criminal Justice/Criminology & Grade 11 US History |
| The Richard H. Hungerford School | Jacqueline Stokes | Special Education – Work Study |
| Tottenville High School | Elizabeth Schubert | Grades 9-12 High School Band |
Banner Image: Teacher Appreciation event. Image Credit – Sean Fitzpatrick
Senator Andrew Lanza
Senator Andrew J. Lanza was elected to represent Staten Island’s 24th New York State Senate District on November 7, 2006. As a former New York City Council member, prosecutor, accountant and business owner, Senator Lanza brings extensive public and private experience to the Senate.
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