Jenna Marrazzo, a second-year teacher at PS 42 on Staten Island, stepped up in her first year on the job to support and advise the school's newly invigorated student council, which had gone dormant during the pandemic.

Fourth-year teacher and sustainability coordinator Amanda Cleary launched a garden club at P 37, a District 75 school on Staten Island, and along with vegetables and flowers, pride and a sense of responsibility are nurtured there.

Some of Fred Salamone’s most memorable early learning experiences were in hands-on activities. Now, curiosity, experiential learning and fun are the key ingredients in Salamone’s science classes at PS 171 in Astoria, Queens. 

New teacher Gabrielle Vega was drawn to her 8th-grade social studies teacher's flair for the dramatic, and her affinity for theatrics is serving her well as she teaches that subject at MS 936 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a District 20 middle school dedicated to the performing and visual arts. 

Former paraprofessional Sherwin Persaud made the transition to teacher last school year, finding his niche working with autistic children and those with behavioral issues in the early grades at P233 in Forest Hills, Queens.

Teaching remotely has forced second-year special education teacher Abby Normandin "to be more creative; to see learning in a new way." For her 6th-graders at Mott Hall III in the Bronx that meant getting everything they needed for a tasty science lesson in the mail.