MAY 10, 2024

This week we recognize Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to acknowledge the significant impact that educators have on our lives. 

At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting we honored the dedication, support and guidance provided by our educators, recognizing their profound influence on students. 

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

A highlight of the evening was announcing the “Teacher of the Year” award. Eileen Eustace, a second grade teacher at the Bedford Road School, received this honor. Since 1996, she has been an invaluable member of our faculty, investing in her students’ academic, social and emotional growth. Over the course of her career, Ms. Eustace has forged collaborative relationships with her students and families, extending her support beyond expectations. We are fortunate to count Ms. Eustace among our dedicated educators who consistently go above and beyond for our students. Thank you, Ms. Eustace.

Pictured left to right: Rachel Hunger, Principal at BRS, Eileen Eustace and Dr. Tina DeSa, Superintendent of Schools

RETIRING STAFF

We celebrated the careers of eleven individuals retiring either during or at the end of this school year. Their commitment to education has left a lasting impact on our community. We extend our gratitude to:

Bedford Road School

• Deborah Anttila, kindergarten teacher
• Lisa Long, first grade teacher
• Marc Vavolizza, second grade teacher

Pleasantville Middle School

• Dawn Cavrell-Epstein, English teacher
• Susan Leyden, school counselor

Pleasantville High School

• Thomas Baffuto, social studies teacher
• Joyce Connell, school counselor
• Gregory DiMurro, science teacher
• Trevor Elliott, custodian
• Nancy Neumeister, health teacher
• Joanne Wallace, library/media specialist

TENURED STAFF

Congratulations to the tenure bound!

Newly tenured staff (front row left to right) Deborah Hurdis, James Finnan, John Chow, Daniel Iorio (back row left to right) Daniel Bramswig, Alyssa Taylor, Nadia Rizzo, Kaitlyn Zapletal

For those whose professional lives have been committed to educating future generations, we offer our gratitude for a job you do with skill, heart and patience. Thank you for all you do for our students and community.

For the youth,

Dr. Tina DeSa

Superintendent of Schools

Eighth graders take notes while James Carey teaches about discrimination against Asian Americans

AAPI Heritage Month celebrates the contributions and achievements of Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans and Native Hawaiians. Officially signed into law by President George W. Bush in 1992, it builds upon earlier week-long recognitions by former Presidents Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Students take notes as part of their gallery walk to study discrimination

In the district, Asian American Pacific Islander contributions are being acknowledged with academic focuses throughout the schools.

In May, the Bedford Road School library is featuring books by and about people of AAPI heritage. Third and fourth graders are reading Every Night is Pizza Night by Japanese American chef J. Kenji López-Alt, also known as Kenji. After reading, students create a paper pizza slice, take a picture, and share it with Mr. Murphy through Seesaw, making their work accessible to both Mr. Murphy as well as their parents/guardians. Younger children are enjoying Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Chinese American author Kat Zhang. 

BRS Librarian Patrick Murphy shares a student’s pizza slice creation after reading Every Night is Pizza Night

Students will also explore non-fiction literature, including Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Yas Imamura, recounting a couple’s meeting in a Japanese internment camp during WWII, based on the author’s maternal grandparents.

At the middle school, social studies classes participated in activities aimed at educating students about Asian cultural contributions throughout history. 

Sixth graders are currently focusing on China, exploring its history from ancient times to the present day. Students are choosing research topics such as holidays and festivals, arts and culture, and animals and sports, and they will present their findings to the class using digital books. 

Eighth grade Social Studies classes delved into the Asian-American Civil Rights Movement, learning about various activists and individuals who endured internment during WWII, including Richard Aoki, an American educator and college counselor best known as a civil rights activist and early member of the Black Panther Party. 

Students are also learning about the Asian-American Political Alliance, formed by college students in the late 1960s, to advocate for more inclusive ethnic studies, as well as activists who protested to preserve Asian-American neighborhoods and fought discrimination during and after the Vietnam War. 

Furthermore, discussions extended to the parallels between the activism of the 1960s and 1970s and the current discrimination faced by Asian-Americans amid the COVID pandemic. 

Two third graders share their pizza slices on Seesaw

Kindergarteners look for signs of pond life

Kim Vecchiariello’s students capture and release wildlife

The recent arrival of warm sunny weather allowed ample opportunities for students at Bedford Road School to engage in outdoor learning. 

First graders went to Cranberry Lake, where they studied the environment, including insects and water wildlife. First grade teacher Kerry Vigilo commented how thrilled one student was to find a large crayfish, while another noticed a tadpole in the muddy water.

More recently, kindergarteners visited Westmoreland Sanctuary. There, students were able to meet turtles, a corn snake, a hissing cockroach and a bunny, as they explored the preserve’s natural habitat. (Fun fact: Did you know that male turtles have orange eyes?)

Animal interactions continued as the kindergarteners walked to a nearby pond, where they used nets to get closer to the wildlife, briefly catching, observing and releasing snails, tadpoles, bugs and salamanders.

The students ended their visit with a hike. Along the way, they spoke about the birds and butterflies they saw flitting about and discussed pollination and butterfly life cycles.

Kindergarten teacher Kim Vecchiariello said that her students found the sanctuary fascinating and enjoyed an entire day of interactive learning while out in nature, adding that she believed they would all sleep very well that night.

A student enjoys petting a bunny

The high school auditorium was buzzing with music this week as Pleasantville Middle School seventh and eighth grade musicians bowed, plucked, sang harmonies and blew their horns in preparation for Thursday night’s Spring concert. Music teachers Robyn O’Brien, Soah Narm and Jon Vercesi were at the helm, directing students through a rehearsal of vibrant and often swinging melodies, sure to delight. Thursday’s concert kicks off a series of three shows the school has lined up in the coming weeks.

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