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UFT members and the principal from PS 65 in Queens, a UFT community learning school, were one of four schools honored with Innovation in Education Awards during Teacher Union Day on Nov. 6.
See more photos in the Teacher Union Day gallery.
Charles Cogen Award recipient Emil Pietromonaco was discussing his career path at Teacher Union Day on Nov. 6 — about how he went from being a math teacher to becoming his school’s chapter leader, to UFT district and borough representative and finally to secretary of the UFT. “But no matter how big you get,” he said, “you should never forget where you came from.”
That act of remembering your origins, of course, was the point of the entire day.
Teacher Union Day celebrates the founding of the UFT 56 years ago, when some brave New York City public school educators went on strike and won the right to bargain collectively. And while the union has grown in size and scope since Nov. 7, 1960, and endured its share of battles, it remains committed to the same principles that animated its founders: workers’ rights and the importance of public education.
As UFT President Michael Mulgrew said to the founding members among the 1,200 educators, friends and family members who packed the grand ballroom of the New York Hilton, “We came from your idea and vision.”
Since 1976, the union has been recognizing that vision by honoring those who have followed in the footsteps of its founders.
“We’ve had our bumps and bruises,” said Anthony Harmon, the union’s director of parent and community outreach who presided over the event. “But we’re still standing and we’ve come a long way.”
For the first time, the UFT used the occasion to honor four schools with Innovation in Education Awards for their commitment to ground-breaking education initiatives spearheaded by the union.
PS 65 in Queens was singled out for its work as one of the union’s Community Learning Schools, while PS 45 on Staten Island was honored for its early adoption of and success in using the Positive Learning Collaborative to address challenging student behavior.
Illustrating the promise of new education provisions in the 2014 UFT-DOE contract, International HS at LaGuardia Community College was recognized for its work as a Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence — or PROSE — school, and MS 228 in the Bronx was cited for its accomplishments in using the new teacher leadership roles.
Longtime UFT Teacher Center educator Phyllis Walker, the recipient of the Jules Kolodny Award, was described by Vice President for Education Evelyn DeJesus as turning “no matter who or what she touches into gold.”
Frank Panebianco’s work helping members to understand and get the most out of their pension benefits made him a fitting choice for the David Wittes Award. Panebianco said he was proud to receive an honor named “for one of the architects of our defined-benefit pensions.”
Sidney Harris Award winner Analia Gerard, the union’s District 75 representative, spoke from the heart about the rewards of educating special needs students: “They draw you in, whether they are battling cancer or receiving a transplant or dealing with some genetic disorder that doesn’t even have a name yet; they make you stay in this for a very long time.”
The Audrey Chasen Award for heroic work went to Calvin Lloyd, a longtime supervisor of school security; paraprofessional Ursula Simmons, who put her students’ needs first when the school bus they were riding in flipped over in an accident [see story]; and teacher Amy Spears and paraprofessionals Michael Lopez and Sherie Vaio of IS 227 in Queens, who worked together to help save the life of a sixth-grader who stopped breathing [see story].
The Backer/Scheintaub Award for union leadership was bestowed on Dorothy Callaci, a former English teacher and 28-year New York Teacher reporter; Kishayna Hazlewood, a teacher at PS 156 in Brooklyn who served on the governor’s Common Core Task Force; and Peter Mason, a stalwart in the union’s certification department after working nearly 40 years as a teacher.
The first Making a Difference Award was given to Jose Gonzalez, a paraprofessional at Teachers Preparatory HS in Brooklyn, for sharing his gift for illustration with students as well as the union.
Among the other awards were the Marsh/Raimo, given to members for their political activism; the Albert Lee Smallheiser, to members who improve the working conditions of their colleagues; and the Eli Trachtenberg, to chapter leaders for their chapters’ achievements.
Also recognized were members with more than 50, 60 and 70 years of teacher union membership; chapter leaders with 10, 20, 25 and 30 years of service; and members who advanced to new titles.
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UFT History