56 The Great Neck News, Friday, September 11, 2015
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s chool n e w s
G.N. ed board welcomes new staff At the orientation held prior to the opening of the Great Neck Public Schools, new staff were welcomed by Board of Education President Barbara Berkowitz which included Board Trustee Susan Healy, Superintendent Teresa Prendergast, Assistant Superintendents Joseph Hickey, Stephen Lando, and Kelly Newman, Great Neck Teachers Association president Sheila Henchy, Association of Supervisors and Administrators President Bernard Kaplan, and other administrators. Two administrators joined the school district— one moved from a position within the district and the other is new to the district. Gerald Cozine is the new principal at North Middle School, having previously served as an assistant principal at South Middle School. Brian McConaghy is new to Great Neck. He will be an assistant principal at South Middle School. The district’s new elementary teachers follow, by school,
with their subject areas in parentheses. Newly hired teachers at E.M. Baker School include Veronica Brendel (music), Madeline Dressner (grade 3), Kristin Eberhardt (special education, grade 4), Lindsey Glad (grade 3), Sivan Karo (grade 3), Anita Minakyan (mathematics lab), Cori Pahl (grade 4), Helen Primrose (physical education/health; also at SEAL Program), Kate Rosenzweig (special education, grade 2), and Nicole Viscomi (grade 2). New teachers at J.F. Kennedy School include Christine Ahl (English as a New Language, ENL; also at Baker), Gina Boneri (special education, grade 5), Claire Butler-Saur (special education, kindergarten), Lauren Heck (physical education), and Gabrielle Levy (grade 3). Lakeville School’s new teachers are Tara Ardizzone (grade 3), Stephanie Bailyn (grade 4), Lisa Granath (special education, grade 5), Lori Kar-
son (special education, grade 4), Adrienne Koslow (grade 1), Jennifer Seiden (grade 3), and Jaclyn Sharoni (grade 4). The new teachers at Parkville School are Dara Gelb (special education, kindergarten), Linda Haas (art; also at South High School), Maria Tsonis (social worker), and Kristen Venezia (ENL). New teachers at Saddle Rock School are Fernanda Bravo (ENL), Evan Chen (special education, grade 3), Colleen Guarneiri (ENL; also at Lakeville), and Meredith Moss (special education, grade 4). The district’s new secondary teachers follow, by school, with their subject areas in parentheses. New teachers at North High School include Hanna Bokhour (Hebrew), Keith Crowley (educational TV; also at North Middle School), Joshua Fialkow (social studies), Todd Henao (English), David Jacobs (science), Lauralee Kelly (special education), Erin
New elementray school staff members
Lee (ENL), Casie Ludemann (social studies), John-Paul Mannebach (social studies), Joni Melville (mathematics), Daniel Moriarty (special education), Caitlin Morrell (English), Yamit Nassiri (Hebrew), Kristen Nersesian (mathematics), Heather Parris-Fitzpatrick (ENL), Joseph Puleio (mathematics), Ilana Meredith Schikler (drama), Alison Silk (Spanish), and Lloyd Sussman (special education). The new teachers at North Middle School are Lauren Frenz (mathematics), Jaclyn Mazur (social studies; also at North High), Brendan Nelson (guidance counselor), Elizabeth Oggeri (mathematics), Paul Reilly (social studies), Trina Rice (English), Cinthia Serowik (English department head), Qianyun (Amber) Wang (Mandarin; also at South High), and Rachael Weissman (social studies). New teachers at South High School include Erica Beggs (guidance counselor), Amanda Berry (Spanish), Neel
Chugh (mathematics department head), Keely Coco (guidance counselor), Vanessa Cum (science), Denise Gentile-Staniszewski (guidance counselor), Rebecca Gottesman (guidance department head), Laura Kesselman (mathematics), Lisa Kmiotek (special education), Joseph Lipani (mathematics; also at North High), Nicole Martinek (special education), Nicole Spinelli (science), Megan Wilvert (science), Brooke Zaiff (Spanish), and Andrea Zinn (mathematics). The new teachers at South Middle School are Jessica Chase (guidance counselor), Nathalie Coulon (French), Maria Giannopoulos (Latin; also at North Middle), Arielle Panzarino (family and consumer science), Jessie Peters (English lab), and Elena Teixeira (family and consumer science). The new teacher at the Supportive Environment for All Learners program is Tara Jacobs (English).
New secondary school staff members
Community education offers new classes for fall ‘15 As the Great Neck Public Schools open their doors to the 2015–2016 school year, we here at community education are ready for our fall session to begin. This session brings with it some exciting new classes. A few of these are highlighted below. Writer’s Workshop. Instructor Jackie Marks welcomes all writers looking for editorial guidance. She will help to refine your style and help you create your own publication through in-class writing assignments. It’s All Greek to Me. Instructor Sal Santoro takes a look into the works and ideas of key figures in the Ancient Greek philosophical tradition. Study the writings of Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, and
more. Finish a Small Drawing or Painting in Under 2 Hours. Instructor Barbara Silbert will show you how to complete a still-life landscape or portrait in less than two hours. Learn to draw the basic shapes, and then quickly lay down shadow, light, and tones using the medium of your choice. Fall Into Plein Air Painting. Instructor Alacia Stubbs hosts this outdoor painting class at Steppingstone Park. Benefit from small-class instruction as you learn how to incorporate the elements of the outdoors with your painting. Action Cinema. Join new French teacher Patricia Luque as she introduces fluent-French speakers to the world of
contemporary French cinema. Join in and watch short-film excerpts and clips, and engage in discussions, debates, and the exploration of social and cultural values. Italy — City by City. Instructor Alessandra Levine will take you on a journey of Italy’s beautiful cities: Venice, Milan, Florence, and Naples. Embark on a virtual tour and get to know each city’s culture and people. No knowledge of Italian is necessary. Arguably, Some of the Best Books of the 20th Century. Join new teacher Marc Greenberg in reading and discussing some amazing books, and arguing their merits, and possibly, their demerits. Introduction to Core Building and Strengthening. Instructor Barbara Kiprik
leads this beginner-friendly class that will focus on strengthening your lower back and abdominal muscles. You will learn a variety of skills to fortify and strengthen your body from the inside out. Classes meet at the Cumberland Adult Center, 30 Cumberland Ave., Great Neck (one block south of Northern Blvd., off Lakeville Road). For complete information on these and other offerings, view the fall catalog at www.greatneck. k12.ny.us and click on the Community Ed icon from the scroll near the top of the homepage. You can register online, or by phoning us at (516) 441-4949. The center will be holding its first-ever, week-long open house, Sept. 28–Oct. 2.