around the uft
In a teacher's memory
Jan 17, 2008 1:03 PM
Students Kim Newman (left) and Chelsea McGee show the plaque inscribed, “In memory of Roni Futoran for her dedication, devotion and service to PS 200.
Roni Futoran, a teacher at PS 200 in Queens, went out to lunch one Friday in December 2006 but never came back. Hit by a car, she died several days later. What happened next was, according to Principal Denise Brown, “an amazing sense of community.” Neighboring schools and parents organized so that the entire staff of PS 200 was able to attend the funeral. UFT President Randi Weingarten also met with staff to show union support. And a plaque and a fund established by her family were dedicated to her memory at a ceremony at the school on Nov. 16. More than 100 people — including community members, first responders and neighboring colleagues — attended. Students and staff shared their memories of her. As a tribute to their mother’s love of the theater, the family used the fund to send a class to the theater.
The Futoran family is flanked by Assistant Principal Deborah Kolodny (left), and Principal Brown and Joe Kessler, UFT District 25 representative (right).
