Six Chappaqua School District teachers granted tenure

tenure
Standing are Zornow, Rapaport and Wiggins; seated are Gomes, Olive and Vanzo; more photos in “Read more…”
May 25, 2012
by Christine Yeres

At Tuesday’s Board of Ed meeting, six teachers were granted tenure.  “This is a night of celebration,” announced Superintendent Lyn McKay. “We take tenure very seriously.  All our candidates have been through multiple observations and evaluations and we’ve worked closely together.  It is a milestone and we say ‘Congratulations to all of you!’”

Newly hired teachers are appointed to probationary period of three years; if previously tenured, a period of two years. 

The new tenured teachers are:

Bell

Sharon Wiggins – Library Media Specialist

Justin Olive - Science

Gina Gomes – Physical Education

Seven Bridges

Elissa Rappaport – Guidance Counselor

Martha Zornow - Principal

Westorchard

Christine Vanzo - Kindergarten


From the podium, each candidate’s school principal announced that his or her tenure had been granted, with McKay herself “doing the honors” for Seven Bridges’ principal, Martha Zornow. 


“I am very pleased—thrilled—to recommend Martha Zornow, Principal of Seven Bridges, for tenure,” said McKay. “She has been a highly successful principal for the last three years in Chappaqua and I’m so excited she’s joining us, I barely have the words to say to you, Martha, you’re so wonderful.  Under Martha’s leadership, Seven Bridges teachers rewrote their mission and their vision and if you walk through the school you’ll see they are a community of explorers.  Martha has systematically promoted a school culture that supports the board’s teaching and learning question.  She and her staff include students in such interesting ways as they, the students, begin to own their own learning.  And they assess themselves and they advocate so well for their own needs.  Martha has structured teacher learning in teams and in classroom observations.  She epitomizes instructional leadership. Most of all: You never have to guess what Martha’s thinking.  And she is not short of new ideas and good ideas and I couldn’t be more pleased than to recommend her for tenure.” 

See photos of the tenured teachers below.

A seventh candidate, Kelly Sposito, a guidance counselor at Horace Greeley High School, was granted tenure in January.

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