Better Speech and Hearing Month —
A Spectacular Celebration of Excellence

Our chapter held its first Better Speech and Hearing month celebration on May 23 at UFT headquarters. Chapter leader Mindy Karten Bornemann proposed that the Department of Education honor those speech teachers and therapists who provided excellence in Speech Language Pathology or Community Service. Our chapter formed a committee, which received more than 90 nominees, by speech supervisors and colleagues.

This years honorees were: Christina Phillips, Della Furiano, Ellen Spund, Gail Small, Nathaniel Wright, Sari Schwartz, Karen Gibilaro, Marisa Gaudioso, Linda Albert, Ellen Andrews, Xiomara Trujillo, Patricia Baskin- Bey, Melissa Golden, Amelia Katz, Tricia Shortt Ocaasiso, Stacy Bradshaw. Shaton Goodwin, Keisha Grannum, Shante Haskins, Jerry Perez, Deborah Reynolds, Theresa Otto, Jill Moylan , John O’Connor, Kathryn Stanley, Diane Fein, Patricia Angerame, Myles Antoine, Ericka Barrera, Siena Bustos, Arlene Francis, Yolanda Guzman- Adames, Judith Wynter. Iris Mazursky, Josephine Nardone, Amaris James, Andrea Oliver, Linglih Wang, Ana Roldan, Ludney Jean- Phillippe, Alesia Edmundson- Ross, Melissa Toribio- Boughner, Joyce Malave, Tia Walker, Andrea Guzman, Gay Zacerous, Channah Lieberman, Regina Melendez, Dina Rozenbaum, George Castle, Vivian Cabollero, Elaine Bernabe, and Laila Ellias.

Some of the honorees have received Teacher Center and other grants in excess of $600,000 for work in their school or community. For example, Iris Mazarsky won a Ronald McDonald $15,000 grant for a new library and 250 Happy Meals for students. And Patricia Baskin-Bey organized a Scholarship Book fair, advised the honor society and partnered with the Parks Department to received a grant to renovate the park across from her school.

Many of the honorees presented workshops or PowerPoint presentations. Some had written manuals or books. Melissa Golden and Amelia Katz started pen pal programs between high schools to improve writing skills. Other therapists incorporated the arts, television, poetry or special technology into their speech programs.

Our Better Speech and Hearing Committee, which selected honors for these events, was chaired by Brenda Caquias. This committee included Jerry Sandell, Bruce Campbell, Jennifer Williams, Dina Fein, Ava Geddes, Christina West, Lorina Albert, Kathy Lewis and Carole Bonhomme. The committee spent many hours working toward the event.

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