Three Yonkers Educators Named YPS Teachers of the Year

Mrs. Jessica Marie O’Neill

Jessica Marie O’Neill
Grade 3 Teacher, Las Hermanas Mirabal Community School

Jessica O’Neill is a veteran educator with over two decades of dedicated service to the Yonkers Public Schools community. A proud graduate of the district, she attended PS 21, John Burroughs Middle School, and Saunders Trades and Technical High School, where she majored in Business and graduated in 1994. Jessica began her teaching career at Las Hermanas Mirabal Community School in 1998, where she taught fifth grade. Over the years, she also brought her passion for education to Museum School 25 and has taught nearly every elementary grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5.

Since 2014, Jessica has been inspiring young minds as a third-grade teacher at Las Hermanas Mirabal Community School. Her deep roots in the community – growing up just a block away from the school and now teaching where her husband once studied  – adds a personal connection to her professional journey. Jessica is passionate about instilling a love for reading and writing in her students and takes pride in creating a nurturing, supportive “Third Grade Family” each year.

Jessica lives in Dobbs Ferry with her husband, Kevin O’Neill, a physical education teacher in the Bronx. They have two sons: Tyler, a student at Manhattan University, and Sean, an aspiring entrepreneur. She is the daughter of Don Sciortino and the late RoseMary Sciortino, and remains closely connected to her Yonkers roots through her extended family.

Ms. Tatiana Galasso

Tatiana Galasso
Spanish Teacher, Grades 7–8, Family School 32
 
Tatiana Galasso is a dedicated foreign language educator whose passion for language and culture has made a lasting impact on Yonkers Public Schools. Since beginning her teaching career in 2017, Tatiana has served multiple schools across the district, including César E. Chávez School, María de Hostos MicroSociety School, Westchester Hills School 29, and Family School 32, where she now teaches Spanish exclusively to middle school students.
 
Tatiana’s academic journey began in Quito, Ecuador, where she completed high school. After moving to the United States, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Spanish and later a Master of Arts in Teaching – both from Empire State College. Her love for teaching Spanish stems from her belief that language is a gateway to understanding diverse cultures, ideas, and people. She especially enjoys witnessing her students’ growth and confidence as they begin to speak and connect in a new language.
 
A proud Yonkers resident for over 20 years, Tatiana lives with her husband Steven and their two children, Daniela and Anthony. She continues to champion the importance of bilingualism at home and in the classroom, inspiring students to embrace the power of communication across cultures.

Mrs. Cristina Doley

Cristina Doley
Special Education Teacher, Roosevelt High School–Early College Studies
 
Cristina Doley is a passionate and committed educator at Roosevelt High School–Early College Studies, where she has been serving students with compassion and purpose since 2015. She began her career as a teaching assistant and, in 2019, transitioned into her current role as a special education teacher. Cristina holds a Bachelor’s degree from Iona University and Master’s degrees from both Post University and Hunter College.
 
A lifelong Yonkers resident, Cristina brings deep community roots and cultural richness to her work. The granddaughter of Portuguese immigrants and a proud product of a multigenerational Yonkers family, Cristina has dedicated her life to empowering students to realize their full potential. Her work is driven by a belief in the power of education to transform lives, and she takes pride in helping students develop independence, confidence, and a sense of self-worth that prepares them for life beyond the classroom.
 
Cristina and her husband, Aaron, are raising two sons, AJ and Adam, in Yonkers. Her family maintains strong ties to the community through local schools, sports, and cultural organizations. Cristina’s love of teaching, coupled with her lifelong commitment to Yonkers, continues to have a lasting impact on the lives of her students and the broader school community.