Students, Parents, Teachers & Administrators Called to Nominate Teachers at www.YonkersNY.gov
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano today announced the Yonkers Kiwanis Club in collaboration with the City of Yonkers and Yonkers Board of Education Trustees will present the 2022 Teacher of the Year Awards to three deserving members of the Yonkers Public Schools’ faculty. Nominations can be submitted by students, parents, teachers and administrators today through March 4 at www.YonkersNY.gov.
Established in 1956, the Teacher of the Year Award celebrates Yonkers teachers who further excellence in education. A committee comprised of members of the Yonkers Kiwanis Club and Trustees of the Board of Education selects the honorees.
“Our Yonkers Public School teachers continue to rise and adapt, especially during the pandemic, and they deserve to be recognized with honor,” said Mayor Spano. “These awards are a gesture of thanks for positively impacting our children’s lives. The partnership between the City, the Yonkers Kiwanis Club and the Yonkers Public Schools celebrates the exceptional dedication and commitment of our everyday heroes in the classroom and, at times, even beyond the classroom.”
“Over the past two years, teachers’ instructional practices significantly changed,” noted Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin M. Quezada. “Yonkers teachers understand their impact on students’ academic, social and emotional progress. I’m proud to say that so many of our teachers overcame the challenges of remote instruction to provide exciting learning opportunities for their students. This award is an opportunity for our community to say thank you to those teachers for their professionalism and daily relentless quality teaching.”
Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez, praised the Yonkers Kiwanis Club for their decades of support for Yonkers teachers and Mayor Spano’s collaboration with this recognition, which has expanded the reach of the Trustees’ message. “This annual celebration truly demonstrates a citywide commitment to education. It highlights the contributions of our outstanding teachers for their commitment to our children. Our teachers, students and families quickly shifted to remote learning and our teachers ongoing engagement with our families kept everything moving forward. They deserve to be honored.”
Three Yonkers Public Schools teachers, representing the elementary, middle and high school levels will be selected. Students, parents, teachers and administrators are encouraged to nominate a teacher at www.YonkersNY.gov
Eligibility requirements for selection as Teacher of the Year include employment as a teacher in the Yonkers Public Schools for at least five years; demonstration of dedication to the teaching profession which has led his/her students to both knowledge and understanding; and initiation of new, meaningful programs for either students, teachers or parents, or been innovative in the use of existing programs, and display significant community involvement.
“The Yonkers Kiwanis Club is once again honored to recognize teachers in our school community who exemplify professionalism and show outstanding dedication. These highly motivated teachers, in their untiring efforts, provide quality education to the students in the Yonkers school system,” said Judy Bartunek, Yonkers Kiwanis President.
The nominations form and sample application are available online at www.yonkersny.gov. Online nominations must be submitted by March 4, 2022 at 5PM. The recipients are expected to attend School District, City of Yonkers and The Yonkers Kiwanis Club Teacher of the Year functions, to speak in public and to the press representing all Yonkers teachers.