Literacy Leaders Shine “Light” in Peekskill Classrooms

If you see a photo of a lighthouse on the front of a classroom door inside one of Peekskill’s schools, it’s not for simple decoration. It’s a symbol of the dedication and learning going on behind the door.

In the 2014-2015 school year, a group of Peekskill City School District teachers in Grades K through 5 were trained by instructors from Lesley University on how to use a Reader's Workshop model in their classrooms, as this model helps to support the District’s Balanced Literacy approach to student learning. The following school year, these teachers were deemed Literacy Teacher Leaders and were awarded a framed photo of a lighthouse to post outside of their classrooms as a symbol of their ability to “light” the way for their students.

This year, each of these Literacy Teacher Leaders worked intensively with one grade level colleague to develop consistency within and across grade levels, as they implemented a Reader's Workshop.

Last week, during National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8-12), junior lighthouses were awarded to the following teachers:

Woodside Elementary: Jessica Montoya (Kindergarten) and Donna Marzella (Grade 1)
Oakside Elementary: Alyssa Gullo (Grade 2)
Hillcrest Elementary: Peggy Owens (Grade 4) and Heather MacPherson (Grade 5)

The junior lighthouses were presented to teachers by Peekskill’s Director of Literacy Dr. Rochelle Mitlak, with the help of building principals (Colleen Hardiman, Staci Woodley, Jackie Liburd) and Literacy Teacher Leaders (Kelly Kadin, Teresa Rivera, Jessica Newby, Tara King and Heydi Rodriguez).