At the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education of the City School District of New Rochelle on October 6, 2009, the Board granted tenure to the following three teachers: Sebastian Arango, teaching assistant at Columbus Elementary School; Stephanie Arrington, teacher at Jefferson Elementary School; and Lisette Opper, Foreign Language teacher at New Rochelle High School.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education of the City School District of New Rochelle on September 8, 2009, the Board granted tenure to 41 teachers and building administrative staff members. The Board of Education granted tenure to: New Rochelle High School – Meghan Barbosa, Special Education; Mathematics teachers Olga Hechavarria,and Nazar Rabadi; Narong Joseph Keolamphu, Social Studies; Teri Kincade, Special Education; Joshua Logan, School Psychologist;Foreign Language teachers Elvis Minaya and Christopher Starace; Special Education teachers Jacqueline McKendry and Jeanine O’Brien; Giselle Standard-Martinez, School Counselor; Peggy Younger, Science. Albert Leonard Middle School – Music teachers Thomas DeMicco and Archie Manning; Rosesharon Perdue, Special Education; Alyson Silver-Civita, Humanities Chairperson. Isaac E. Young Middle School – William Langlais, Special Education; Charise Littlejohn, Social Worker; Rhonda Logan, Physical Education; Kristin Saglibene, Social Studies.  Campus School – Gregory Foster, Mathematics. Columbus Elementary School – Natalia Brown, Physical Education; Elementary teachers Johanna Caruso, Christine Hildalgo, and Tania Syriaque; Lauren Gutstein, Speech/Language. Davis Elementary School – Lucille Alfano, Teaching Assistant; Jessica Blake, Special Education; Elementary teacher Christina Pugni; Deirdre Sugrue-Ferrara, Special Education. Jefferson Elementary School – Elementary teacher Karen Fusillo; Kimmerly Nieves, Assistant Principal. Trinity Elementary School – Kimberly Vaccaro, ESL. William B. Ward Elementary School – Elementary Teachers Kenya Bynum, Trisha Goodman, Marilyn Riess, Sharon Jenkins, Teaching Assistant; Melissa Kaye-Swift, School Psychologist. Daniel Webster Elementary School – Marion Costa, Teaching Assistant. Multiple building assignments - Eva Egolf, Music; Danny Martinez, Attendance Teacher.

Martin Daly, teacher at Isaac Young Middle School and President of the New Rochelle F.U.S.E. and Nona Grady, a retired New Rochelle educator, are featured in a new documentary film "No Teacher Left Behind" produced and directed by Dr. Maurice M. Martinez of the University of North Carolina - Wilimington. Dr. Martinez is a formerly New Rochelle resident. Executive producer is Mae Gamble, Ed.D., professor emeritus of Hunter College. A New York premiere screening was held March 14 at Hunter College's Lang Recital Hall.

The New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA) has presented the City School District of New Rochelle the 2009 School/ Community Partnership Certificate – Quality System Recognition Award. The award recognizes the School District’s work in Special Education Transition Planning, “because it is clear that there continues to be a school culture of acceptance of school to work goals and transition services being provided to students with disabilities,” complimented Jeff Wise, NYSRA President and CEO. Credited for obtaining this award is Transition Coordinator Greg Lau and Director of Special and Alternative Education Yvette Goorevitch.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education of the City School District of New Rochelle on September 2, 2008, the Board granted tenure to 42 teachers and building administrative staff members. The Board of Education granted tenure to:
Laurette Shrage, Assistant Director of Special Education – Elementary; New Rochelle High School – Devan Ganesthanathan and Dara Monifa Tippitt, House Principals; Michael Fry, Art teacher; Erica Vinelli, English teacher; Danielle Blancato, Foreign Language teacher; Byron Blum Mathematics teacher; David Altizio, Jill Ferrara, Andrea Schwach, and Allegra Stein, Science teachers; Alison Landskowsky, Social Studies teacher; and Laura Foster, School Counselor.
Albert Leonard Middle School – Mathematics & Technology Chairperson John Pratt; English teachers Angela Davenport and Noel Katsogridakis; and Home and Careers teacher Jane Gersh.
Isaac E. Young Middle School – English Language Learners Chairperson Elena Dilion; English teacher Sarah Fernandez; Science teacher Pauline Hudson; English-As-A-Second Language teacher Jason Krasner; School Counselor Lisa Rhett.
Barnard Early Childhood Center – Assistant Principal Lori Pisani; Elementary teachers Judy Badillo and Andreana Pizzuti; and Teaching Assistant Maria Alayo.
Columbus Elementary School – Assistant Principal Sonia Nunez; Special Education teacher Astrid Vanessa Guzman.
Davis Elementary School – Music teacher Regina Talbot-Mendez; and Special Education teacher Toni Ann Zuzulo.
Jefferson Elementary School – Elementary teacher Sandra Texidor-Desilla, Library Media Specialist Pamela Haas; and Special Education teacher Lauren Batiste.
Trinity Elementary School – Assistant Principal Rolando Briceno; Elementary teachers Patricia Martinez and Thomas McTigue; and School Social Worker Maria Morris.
William B. Ward Elementary School – Elementary teachers Trudy Tsiropinas, Genevieve Vaccariello, and Jacqueline Watts, Physical Education teacher Armando Oliveria, and Special Education teacher Marisa Maldonado.

Artwork by New Rochelle High School art teacher Grace Powers Fraioli is featured in the Westchester Arts Council's "All Fired Up" Celebration in Clay, and is on display in an exhibit “Bridges” at the Mooney Center Gallery at the College of New Rochelle from August 28 through September 22. More information about the artist is available at artworksbygrace.com.

Artwork in clay at 65 venues throughout the county are highlighted throughout the "All Fired Up" celebrations, spanning from October 3 through November 30. Locally participating is the Museum of Arts and Culture at New Rochelle High School.

Natalia Brown, a Physical Education teacher at Columbus Elementary School, who is also a track coach track at New Rochelle High School and volleyball coach at Albert Leonard Middle School, is also an athletic competitor. In July 2008, Natalia Brown competed in the Empire State Games in Binghamton, NY as a member of the Hudson Valley Region team. She earned the second place medal in the Open Women's discus throwing event. She also competed in the hammer throw. She is shown here during actual competition.

Steven A. Goldberg, a high school teacher and department chairman at New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, New York, has been elected Vice-President of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the nation’s largest professional organization for social studies educators. Goldberg will begin his 2008-09 term effective July 1, 2008. He will be NCSS President-Elect in 2009-10 and President in 2010-11.

On June 24, the Board of Education granted tenure to several school administrators, including Donald Conetta, Principal of New Rochelle High School, Joseph Starvaggi, Assistant Principal of New Rochelle High School, Anthony Bongo, Principal of Isaac E. Young Middle School, and Tawanda Robinson, Assistant Principal of Isaac E. Young Middle School.

The Spanish newspaper El Diario La Prensa gave New Rochelle High School teacher George Castellanos with the “EI” award, a recognition given annually by the newspaper to the most influential Hispanic men in the tri-state area. Dr. Castellanos also serves as chairperson of the Spanish Department at Manhattanville College and is also the director of its Latin American Studies Program.

An article by Anthony Bongo, Principal of Isaac E. Young Middle School, was printed in the April edition of Middle Ground, a magazine published by the National Middle School Association. Mr. Bongo's article was Called "Mark of Leadership - Creating a Caring Middle School Step by Step."

The College of New Rochelle presented social worker Janet Rodriguez Byrd with the Academic Achievement Award upon graduating with a master’s degree in education and advanced certification in building leadership.

New Rochelle High School foreign language teacher Gary Monitto has another talent that was recently on display at The Brick Lane Gallery in London. Mr. Monitto’s work included a number of mixed media paintings in a group exhibit titled “Art in Mind.”

Michael Tedesco, School Counselor at New Rochelle High School, received the Outstanding School Counselor Awarded from the BOCES College Clinic Committee on May 7. Mr. Tedesco retired in 2008, having served the district for 33 years.

Congratulations to Derrick James, choral director at New Rochelle High School. Mr. James, is this year’s recipient of the Westchester Arts Council’s Sophia Abeles Award for Community Arts, an annual award handed out to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the arts in Westchester County. Mr. James has contributed to several Westchester initiatives, including the Westchester Arts Council’s Triple Hill Music Festival, a music education and community arts program for diverse audiences.