New retirees from District 75 and District 23 in Brooklyn are dressed to the nines for the celebration at UFT headquarters.

Dolores Mateo (left) and Josefina Baez, who retired in July from PS/IS 201 in Harlem, catch up as they enjoy the luncheon.

New retirees Elizabeth Sturges Llerena, who worked at Flushing International HS, and Ernestine Butler-Johnson, who worked at Eagle Academy for Young Men III in Queens. proudly display the certificates of appreciation they received for serving as chapter leaders.

Cindy Navarro, who retired in July from the District 20 Pre-K Center at 21 Bay 11th Street in Brooklyn, wears the tiara she received at her school retirement party to the luncheon.

Hundreds of new retirees and guests show up for the luncheon.

New retiree Adam Cooper, who taught at the Urban Assembly School for Collaborative Healthcare in Brooklyn, reacts to winning an Echo Dot in a raffle during the event.

New retirees from District 27 in Queens enjoy the luncheon together.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew congratulates retirees for making it through the “toughest, biggest, hardest school system in the United States.”

Reina Fiallos, a paraprofessional who retired in January from the Union Square Academy for Health Sciences in Manhattan, learns about health care options and retiree programs at the vendor fair before the luncheon.

Attendees pay heartfelt attention as the National Anthem is sung.