Around the UFT
Paraprofessional memorialized at IS 24, Staten Island
Honoring a dedicated educator
Bruce Cotler
Castellano's fellow paras unveil the plaque with her photo during the dedication inside the school.
Bruce Cotler
Students, along with paraprofessional Pat DiMarco (left), teacher Bill Falcone (back row) and Principal Lenny Santamaria (right), pull a string to reveal the words on the garden plaque, which pays tribute to Castellano. Displayed on stones in the garden are the traits that Castellano embodied and that she tried to instill in students, including kindness, wisdom, friendship and patience.
Bruce Cotler
The school community at IS 24 on Staten Island came together on May 9 to show their love and appreciation for Teresa Castellano, a paraprofessional who died this past fall.
More than 70 people, including some of Castellano’s family members, memorialized her with a garden, a gazebo archway and a commemorative plaque outside the school, as well as a second plaque just outside the school’s library.
Chapter Leader Mike Scarcella described Castellano as a wonderful presence in the school. She was, he said, “like a light,” someone who was “spunky, upbeat and lively. She always stood up for what is right, for both her students and her colleagues.”
Castellano worked at the school from February 2002 until she succumbed to cancer in November 2013.