Members of the UFT School Secretaries Chapter, together with their families and friends, gathered on June 7 at Shanker Hall for the 37th annual School Secretaries Awards Soiree to celebrate their chapter’s outstanding honorees and the work that school secretaries do to create safe, welcoming school communities.

On June 4, the UFT hosted the 55th annual Albert Shanker College Scholarship Awards at union headquarters, where families and educators came together to honor a diverse and high-achieving group of students. The union awarded $5,000 scholarships to 189 high school students for undergraduate study and nine scholarships of between $2,000 and $8,000 to college seniors for graduate study.

RoseAnn Victoria and LeeAnne Thristino, art teachers at IS 34 on Staten Island, organized the school’s sixth annual art show, where works of about 300 students were on display in the girls’ gymnasium on June 3 for family members to admire and purchase, with the funds raised going toward the program’s art supplies.

About 300 UFT members from academic high schools gathered at UFT headquarters on May 31 to enjoy “A Night to Remember.” They celebrated 10 Team High School honorees and 26 individual award winners and enjoyed a prom for adults.

About 500 people attended the 58th annual Retired Teachers Chapter Luncheon on May 30 at the New York Hilton Midtown, where they recognized 13 fellow retirees with awards for their activism and congratulated a retired Queens teacher who turned 100. The attendees were encouraged to stay involved and “speak into the future” as advocates.

At the 18th annual Better Speech and Hearing Month Celebration on May 30 at Shanker Hall, members of the UFT’s Speech Improvement Chapter and their students were honored for exceptional projects completed in speech therapy this year. The 32 projects displayed the wide variety of therapies that speech language teachers provide.

Just in time for Pride Month, this episode of the Brewing Wellness podcast features a conversation with UFT educator Rashad Brown, co-chair of the UFT’s Pride Committee. He joins Mindy Rosier of the UFT Teacher Center for a discussion of the committee’s advocacy and goals, which include creating safe spaces within school communities. The committee also hosts the Daniel Dromm Scholarship Brunch and participates in an annual AIDS walk and a Pride March, which this year will be Sunday, June 30.

The union’s signature education conference of the year was a fun and inspiring day for more than 1,000  UFT members. The event featured a morning town hall on the new phonics-based literacy curricula, a CTLE exhibit fair, workshops, entertainment by hip-hop legend Grandmaster Dee of Whodini fame and a gala luncheon headlined by First Lady Jill Biden.

The artwork of 23 UFT members — both active and retired — were on display at the New York City Art Teachers Association/UFT’s Dreams Art Show on May 10 at the Bernie Wohl Center in Manhattan.

More than 500 family child care providers and their guests filled Shanker Hall at union headquarters for the 11th annual Provider Appreciation Awards Ceremony on May 10. During the ceremony, more than 50 members were honored for providing exemplary service to the young children and families of New York City.

At the Federation of Nurses/UFT’s annual awards dinner on May 9, more than 200 nurses and their guests celebrated 21 honorees for their exemplary dedication to patient care and union service. The Federation of Nurses/UFT has chalked up some hard-fought contract and arbitration wins in recent months, and members took the opportunity to cheer those colleagues who have been instrumental in protecting patient safety and labor rights.

The UFT School Nurses Chapter celebrated its members at the union’s annual School Nurses Appreciation Dinner at UFT headquarters on May 8, National School Nurse Day. “I make it my business to go all out on National School Nurse Day,” said School Nurses Chapter Leader Cynthia Bennett, who organizes the dinner every year. “The nurses are hidden figures in our schools.”

The UFT organized a social event in each borough this spring to welcome its newest members, foster connections and build community. New members took part in bowling, crafts, painting, nature walks and scavenger hunts across the five boroughs.

Grief is a universal experience that can stem from all types of loss. Grief is a response to a death, but it’s also common to feel grief after a breakup, while dealing with infertility or in the aftermath of the pandemic or any other traumatic experience. In this episode of the Brewing Wellness podcast, Gina Moffa, a licensed clinical social worker and the author of "Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go," shares what she has learned about navigating and healing from all kinds of loss at any age.