Levittown Administrator Receives National Teaching Award

Jonas E. Salk Middle School Assistant Principal Patrick Mulligan received the national Teacher Leadership Award from the Academy for Character Education at The Sage Colleges. This award recognizes Mulligan for his leadership, service and excellent performance, as well as the distinction he holds with peers in accordance with the highest standards of good character.

A Babylon resident, Mulligan chairs the school’s in-house character education program called R.I.S.E., which stands for Respect, Integrity, Safety/Staying healthy and Empathy.

In October, the middle school received the National School of Character Award and Best Practice Award during the National Forum on Character Education held in Washington, D.C.

Mulligan explained that while he received the award, he could not have effectively implemented the character education program without the assistance of the R.I.S.E. committee, faculty, and staff.

“The R.I.S.E. program has turned Salk into a very special place, so much so that we often use the term ‘the Salk family,’” he said. “That’s how it feels to come to the school each day.”

In addition to his time as middle school assistant principal, Mulligan has worked 30 years for the Levittown School District as an assistant principal and earth science/biology teacher at MacArthur High School and as the science chair at Jonas E. Salk Middle School. He received a bachelor’s degree in biology at SUNY Geneseo, a master’s degree in biology education at Stony Brook University and certification in school administration at The College of Saint Rose.

Photo: Levittown School District