District 26 pulled off what District Representative Mary Vaccaro called “an evening of surprises” at its annual District 26 Scholarship Dinner Dance on March 31. Sandra March, a former District 26 1st-grade teacher and longtime teacher trustee of the Teachers’ Retirement System, arrived to discover her entire family was there to celebrate the special honors she was receiving for 50 years of union activism on the eve of her retirement. Likewise, the huge turnout of PS 188 staff surprised and delighted Chapter Leaders Phyllis Berk and Stacy Gangi, who together received the UFT Leadership Award. They thought no one from their school had planned to attend. More than 410 guests were there to applaud the 10 pre-K to 12th-grade students who received scholarship awards and all the other honorees. In presenting the award to March, UFT President Michael Mulgrew recounted scores of anecdotes about her tell-it-like-it-is forthrightness, her “heart-and-soul” dedication to the UFT and how she will be missed. In turn, March reminisced about her love of being a 1st-grade teacher and, true to character, she didn’t miss the opportunity to admonish union members to “stay strong.” PS 18, PS 213, MS 158 and Martin Van Buren HS were noted as Schools with 60 Years of Educational Excellence, with Bayside HS topping that with 80 Years of Excellence. The educators recognized for 30 years of educational excellence were Mario Asaro of MS 158, Christine Eisen PS 205, Yolanda Juven of MS 74, Linda Paul of MS 67/PS 94, Stu Raphael of PS/IS 266, Bonnie Scalisi of PS 173, Karen DiSalvo from the District 26 office and Carol Sitler of MS 216.