HHS IB Italian Teacher Maria Battapaglia Honored

Harrison High School IB Italian teacher Maria Battapaglia was honored by the Fieri organization and was presented with the Laura Aiello Rinascimento Award at their annual Scholarship Award Ceremony at the Schiff Family Great Hall at the Bronx Zoo.

Ms. Battapaglia received this award for her dedication to preserving, promoting and celebrating the rich heritage of classic and contemporary Italian culture by encouraging an appreciation of the Italian language, arts, history, cuisine, and commerce through educational programs, exhibits, and events.

As an advisor to the Italian Club at the high school, she along with her club officers planned educational experiences throughout the year. Earlier this year, the group visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to examine the works of Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio de Chirico, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and sculptures such as “Man in Space” by the futurista Umberto Boccioni. The students also took the time to visit the Roman and Egyptian galleries as well as the exhibit: “Beyond Caravaggio” by Valentin de Boulogne, the French follower of Carvaggio.

The club, whose members are students from ninth grade through twelfth grade, also sponsored Italian nights to sample the cuisine of numerous parts of Italy. Italian club member Louis Giacomo and his grandmother provided a demonstration of Italian cookie making, while other members of the club entertained with poems, songs and musical instruments. The Harrison community is known for its vast Italian history and heritage.

Last week, Ms. Battapaglia and Italian club president Adrianna Sacco invited Professor Fruzzetti, a Brown University professor, to speak to the Italian students on immigration and on Eritrea as a former Italian colony – bringing higher level learning on complex subject matters into her classroom.