Burnt Hills Ballston Lake Teachers Association
Members of the Burnt Hills Ballston Lake TA, led by Michael Mosall, raised more than $3,000 at the local's third annual garage sale. Proceeds go to the BHBLTA Scholarship Fund, which has donated more than $50,000 to college-bound seniors. BHBLTA members Melissa Thomas and Sue Cifaratta organized the garage sale.
Central Islip Teachers Association
The Central Islip TA, led by Michael Romano, distributed $71,500 at its annual scholarship and awards celebration. Scholarships were presented to graduating seniors. The local holds three awards nights to recognize students' achievements. Jennifer Cicero, who heads up the CITA community liaison committee, thanked in-service and retired members for their continued generosity.
Kenmore Teachers Association
UUP member Jacqui Berger and Donna Hafner, Maryvale TA help sort 22,000 books for the free First Book distribution organized by the Kenmore TA in Western New York. Photo by Dennis Stierer.
The Kenmore TA in June spearheaded a major First Book distribution effort with 22,000 free books going to underserved K-12 students in the Western New York community. The event included help transporting, loading and unloading the books from the local Teamsters and Steelworkers unions; Tops Friendly Markets provided use of a truck to transport the books from NYSUT, space in the grocery store warehouse and snacks for the distribution; and Erie County Sheriffs provided free child safe IDs. The Kenmore TA, led by Peter Stuhlmiller, also worked with several community partners. KTA's Kate Sacco, who organized the event, praised the hard work and support of KTA members and the area trade unions. "It was really a community effort."
Westbury Teachers Association
From left, Westbury TA members Lindsey Sandler and Lorraine Massillon, and Westbury SRPs member Brenda de la Rosa enjoy the Westbury Field Day at Drexel Avenue Elementary School. The Westbury TA provided Italian ice for the event. Inset: Students enjoy their dessert. Jonathan Fickies Photos.
The Westbury TA, led by Christine Corbett, hosted Westbury Pride Night in May to celebrate student success. The event included an animal safari, ROTC demonstration, rotating student performances and displays of student artwork. "We're a high-poverty district and we're always trying to engage parents," Corbett said. The district has a large immigrant population and many parents didn't know they could vote. The event also included a voter registration drive in conjunction with the Nassau County Board of Elections. Students from the district's three elementary schools, who had been learning about the voting process, voted on their favorite Italian ice flavor. The local purchased the winning flavor for the students' field days in June. More than 200 Westbury TA members were involved in making Pride Night a success; organizers included Stephen Forker, Rich Canalini, Jen DiCrescio, Shahana Khairool, Lisa Tintle, Patrick McGovern, Jen Boston, Mike Villanti, Lisa Fernandez and Brad Johnson. "It was superb, a collective effort," Corbett said.
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