Ocean City Intermediate School Teacher To Be Honored By Princeton University

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City Intermediate School teacher Cory Terry is one of four outstanding New Jersey secondary school teachers who will be honored by Princeton University at its Commencement on June 6, the university said on Monday. Terry, Peter Drozd of Union City High School, Emily Rock of Oakcrest High School and Colleen Tambuscio of New Milford High School will be recognized as part of the teacher-recognition program, which began in 1959.

The teachers were selected for the award based on nominations from public and private schools around the state. The teachers will each receive $5,000, as well as $3,000 for their school libraries.

The program is administered by Princeton’s Program in Teacher Preparation program. Christopher Campisano is the director.

“All the finalists were distinguished in their own unique way,” Campisano said. “The four we honor with this award are truly extraordinary. A teacher’s presence and work have a special impact on the school community that transcends the classroom. Each teacher fills a void believing in the power of their students to make a better world.”

Terry majored in psychology at Princeton University, and received a certificate in teacher preparation, graduating in 2004. She has always been passionate about the natural world and connecting with it, and she is now able to share her passion with students in her middle school science class.

“Not every student is going to go on to be a biologist, but every student can apply biology to their lives in their own way,” she wrote in her personal statement. “This goes for any branch of science we cover.”

Terry’s colleague Carrie Merritt praised her sense of “wonderment,” and said that she “possesses a rare zeal for the sense of wonder. She marvels in the science of how the universe works and gracefully balances an innate quality to understand the inner workings of the individuals and community that she influences.”

“She took the time to show us the value of what we were learning each day and made sure that no student was left behind,” Shannon Decosta, a former student, wrote.

Terry graduated from Ocean City High School, and now she is the head coach of the Red Raiders’ field hockey team. Under her guidance, the team won six South Jersey titles and three state titles, and she has been honored as the South Jersey Rookie Coach of the Year and the South Jersey Coach of the Year.

“She models reliability, punctuality, organization, academic growth and service to the community,” Ocean City Intermediate School Principal Geoff Haines wrote.

The staff of the Program in Teacher Preparation, in reviewing the applications, considers recommendations from colleagues and students as well as evidence of the teachers’ accomplishments in the school and the community. From the initial pool of applicants, 10 finalists are selected and visited at their schools by Rosanne Zeppieri, a member of the program staff.

The award winners are then selected by a committee that includes, in addition to Campisano, University faculty members Joshua Katz and Stanley Katz; Steve Cochrane, superintendent of the Princeton Public Schools; and Laura Morana, New Jersey state Department of Education acting chief academic officer.

Patch file photo