Teens Honor Teachers on Teacher Appreciation Day

The Yorktown Teen Center members honored today teachers who have made the greatest impact in their lives.

The selected teachers received a gift, certificate of appreciation and personalized letter of thanks. They were also invited to spend time at the newly renovated Teen Center with the students.

May 11 was declared at Teacher Appreciation Day, something the students had been planning for the last two months. Teens submitted the name of their favorite teacher (past or present) to be honored and their reason why.

“It’s nice to show them we care about what they do and how we respect them” said Michael Montaruli, a sophomore at .

One Yorktown High School teen who wished to remain anonymous said his teacher “is really funny and everyone enjoys going to class because every day is fun and you can tell he really cares.” 

“Teachers were selected because they went out of their way to make each one of these kids feel important and sincerely cared about,” said Judy Arnold, board member and one of the project coordinators.

“Teaching is a challenging profession,” Melissa Montaruli, the secretary of the board and another project coordinator said. “Teachers have a lasting impact on those they teach. They deserve recognition and acknowledgement for going above and beyond.”

 Helena Rodriguez, board president said they plan to make this a yearly event as the teens were very excited to honor their teachers in some way. 

“It is a great way to encourage an attitude of gratitude and do something special for an important person in their lives,” she said.

Teachers being honored at  are: Jennifer Bianco, Geraldine Broccoli, Bryan Dennie, Gus Egan, Kathleen Finnegan, Lori Roberts, Jennifer Tobeschat, Nancy Torrente, Marc Waxler and Arthur Wenzel.

From are: Sean Carney, Maureen Gallery, Deena Delmoro, Christopher DiPasquale, Janine Gibney, Michelle Marchetti, and Lisa Morrella. 

From : Francine Frey.

From Crompond: Lauren Reid, Mrs. Spiridigliozzi.

From :  Ms. Di Gioia and Mr. Merriam.

From Walter Panas: Kyoko Yamakawa.