Nassau BOCES Plants Living Memorial In Honor of North Massapequa Resident Fred Podolski

Under sunny skies, showers of love and admiration poured over a freshly-planted Alberta blue spruce outside the Nassau BOCES Robert E. Lupinskie Center for Curriculum, Instruction and Technology in Westbury. Colleagues gathered there to memorialize one of the county’s most influential leaders in education, Fred Podolski of North Massapequa.

“The planting of this tree honors the memory of Fred and all that he accomplished as Executive Director of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology (CIT) at Nassau BOCES,” said Pat Koehler, one of six CIT supervisors. “This tree will beautify our surroundings and be a lasting reminder of the leadership and care that he provided.”

Well known as a crusader, Podolski made it his mission to help increase educators’ understanding of technology and its affect on student performance. During his two decades of service at Nassau BOCES, his passion for all things technological was evident in his many accomplishments, most notably as executive director to a staff of more than 300 employees responsible for the curriculum and instruction, health and safety, and technology services provided to school districts throughout the county.

Podolski also led the successful effort to secure a $1 million grant to improve American history education in Nassau County, created the first-ever Long Island Technology Summit for educators, and was instrumental in the development of the Robert E. Lupinskie Center, a high-tech facility dedicated to providing professional development opportunities for staff from the county’s 56 school districts as well as employees of Nassau BOCES.

“I couldn’t think of a better placement of this tree, overlooking Eisenhower Park on one side and the Lupinskie Center, Fred’s dream, on the other,” said Nassau BOCES’ Board President Stephen B. Witt. “The spruce tree symbolizes strength, and that was Fred.”

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Dr. Thomas Rogers, district superintendent of Nassau BOCES, said to the group, “The tree symbolizes Fred, but it also really symbolizes your relationship with Fred.”

“Not only has Fred impacted our lives,” said Interim CIT Executive Director Lawrence McGoldrick, “he impacted the lives of 250,000 children with his time, effort and love for his job and all of you.”

Koehler invited gatherers to take a cup of water and pour it on the tree “as a sign of the life that was shared with Fred.”

As the last cups were poured, Podolski’s wife, Debbie, concluded the dedication by reading a poem entitled, “Years and Years,” written by Podolski during his illness. Her parting words were, “I hope we look at this tree and see Fred, his impact and his beautiful smile for years and years.”

Podolski’s contributions to public education were also recognized during the fifth annual Nassau BOCES “Education Partner” Awards Gala, May 12. He was one of 14 award recipients honored for impacting public education in Nassau County in tangible ways.

Through its Curriculum, Instruction and Technology Department, Nassau BOCES provides more than 70 programs and services to support, augment and inspire educational activities specific to Nassau County schools. It also offers schools technical support, resources, training and the latest technologies for every aspect of the education process. Visit www.nassauboces.org/cit for more news, information and educational updates.