An innovative community gardening project, a trailblazing
group of instructional technology leaders and a hardworking director of
technology were among the winners of the 2014 Annual Pioneer Awards handed out
May 16.
The ceremony, held at the Edith Macy Conference Center in
Briarcliff Manor, is a chance for the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center
to recognize the advances that teachers and others are making with technology
in the region’s school districts.
The half-day event also included a keynote presentation from
George Couras, a division principal for the Parkland School Division located in
Alberta, Canada.
Mr. Couras, who is also an innovative teaching, learning and
leadership consultant, travels the country and the world inspiring teachers and
others to make effective leadership changes and to create more transparent
environments within schools.
Before deciding on the winners, a group of judges review
each candidate’s application, including information on their innovative use of
technology among colleagues as well as in the classroom.
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| Port Chester's Pioneer Award Winners |
This year’s winners included Adam Schoenbart, a high school
English teacher in the Ossining School District, who was celebrated for his
innovative use of Google Apps for Education, and Craig Mantin, an instructional
technology specialist in the North Rockland School District, for his
professional development efforts with teachers and as the district’s resident
expert in technology matters.
Two new Pioneer Awards were handed out this year for
collaborative efforts in technology. The recipients included a team of fourth-grade
teachers from JFK Elementary School in the Port Chester School District (Kate
Albero, Jenn Curti and Kara Purcell), who helped spearhead a community garden
project that involved the use of digital technology.
The “Special Recognition for Collaboration and Innovation Initiatives”
was also presented to Jennifer Cronk, an instructional facilitator for the
Clarkstown Schools; Jesse Lubinsky, chief information officer and technology
coordinator for the Irvington Schools; and Sabrina Rich, director of
instructional technology for the Ardsley Schools, all in honor of their trailblazing
leadership efforts.
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| Jennifer Cronk, Sabrina Rich and Jesse Lubinsky |
This year’s Director of Technology Pioneer Award was given
to George Brady of the South Orangetown Schools for providing leadership and
vision in relation to the district’s server and desktop virtualization
platforms as well as its mobile learning offerings, among other accomplishments.
The Yorktown School District was chosen for its ability to
connect students, staff and community through what Superintendent Dr. Ralph
Napolitano referred to as “this one YCSD digital world,” making reference to
the 3,600 students in kindergarten through 12th grade along with the 500
staffers who connect and collaborate through the Google Apps for Education platform.
The district integrates various technology tools into daily
learning, including interactive Whiteboards, Smart responses, iPads,
Chromebooks, Google Apps for Education, in addition to other smart devices,
part of its Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative.
