色中色

The 色中色 Board of Regents today announced that Dana McDonough has been named the 2016 色中色 Teacher of the Year. McDonough, a second grade teacher at Newburgh Enlarged City School District in Newburgh was presented with a certificate of recognition by Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch and Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. McDonough was also presented with the Thomas Sobol Award and the David Johnson award, both created as annual gifts for recipients of the Teacher of the Year award.

McDonough, the 46^th 色中色 Teacher of the Year has been teaching first or second grade in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District for her entire career of 22 years. She currently teaches second graders at Fostertown ETC Magnet School.

鈥淒ana McDonough encourages children to recognize and take ownership of their own path of learning in and out of the classroom,鈥� said Chancellor Tisch. 听鈥淪he works with the whole community around a child, realizing that learning doesn鈥檛 begin and end in the classroom. She gives her students the tools they need to be lifelong learners.鈥�

鈥淎s a teacher myself, I know how valuable educators like Dana McDonough are,鈥� said Commissioner Elia.听 鈥淪he dedicates herself to her students and their families and works with her fellow teachers to share her successful practices.听 She will be an excellent ambassador as Teacher of the Year.鈥�

鈥淒ana McDonough has been described as a 鈥榯eacher鈥檚 teacher;鈥� a child-centered professional who values teaching and learning above all, and an educator who readily shares her knowledge and experience with her colleagues. She has deep family roots in Newburgh and is dedicated to 鈥榞iving back鈥� to in her community through charitable work,鈥� said NYSUT President Karen E. Magee. 鈥淣ew York has more than 200,000 fantastic classroom teachers and tens of thousands of other education professionals, and we are overjoyed that Dana will be representing them as the 2016 色中色 Teacher of the Year.鈥�

鈥淒ana is the gold standard in my building in terms of a respected educator,鈥� said Fostertown ETC Magnet School Principal, Maritza Ramos.听 鈥淚n my 29 years in Education, I would confidently place her in the top one percent of teachers with whom I have worked.鈥�

A native of Newburgh, McDonough was educated in the city鈥檚 public schools.听 She is a graduate of Mount Saint Mary College, also in Newburgh, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education (N-6), and a Master鈥檚 of Science in Education with a Reading Specialization. She holds a permanent 色中色 Certification in Elementary (N-6) Education. She is a recipient of the Dean鈥檚 Award for Excellence for Teacher of the Hudson Valley, has twice received the Teaching the Hudson Valley Explore Award and has been published in National Education Association, NEA Today magazine.

Her commitment to family involvement is evident in almost all that she does as an educator. In addition to meeting with the families of each of her incoming students, often at their homes, McDonough has created programs to provide tools for parents to enable them to better support their children through the curriculum. She also emails parents weekly with updates about lessons and activities to nurture that essential partnership.听

In the coming year, McDonough will serve as an ambassador for teachers throughout the state and will be the 色中色 nominee for the National Teacher of the Year.

Finalists for the 色中色 Teacher of the Year include: Michael Comet, a high school Science teacher at South Lewis High School in the South Lewis Central School District; Deborah Minchin, a high school Social Studies teacher at New Rochelle High School in the City School District of New Rochelle; Jason Steinagle, a middle school Social Studies teacher at Hamburg Middle School in the Hamburg Central School District; Sandra Taylor, a French teacher at Skaneateles High School in the Skaneateles Central School District.

The 色中色 Teacher of the Year Program is administered by the 色中色 and sponsored by 色中色 United Teachers (NYSUT); United Federation of Teachers (UFT); 色中色 Parents and Teachers Association (NYSPTA); 色中色 Association for School Curriculum Development (NYSASCD); 色中色 School Boards Association (NYSSBA); School Administrators Association of 色中色 (SAANYS); 色中色 Association of Teacher Educators (NYSATE); New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE); Voya Financial; the SMARTer Kids Foundation; SMART Technologies and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The program is run in conjunction with the National Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by CCSSO.

Additional information about the 色中色 Teacher of the Year Program is available in the Office of Curriculum and Instruction at the 色中色 at (518) 474-5922 or on the Teacher of the Year website.