Pleasantville School District Names Jim Maron "Teacher of the Year"

Mr. Maron joined the PHS faculty in September 2000 and has served as chairperson of the K-12 Art Department since 2007.

During his nearly seventeen years in the District, Mr. Maron was instrumental in adding art electives such as Animation, Printmaking, Fashion Design, and Accelerated Studio to the PHS curriculum. He worked with parents to establish the Friends of Visual Arts (FOVA); began, with colleague Mary Lynne Bonforte, the PHS chapter of the National Art Honor Society; collaborated with the Jacob Burns Film Center to host the annual PHS Art Show and added a panel on Careers in the Arts; added an annual K-12 Art Show at the Mount Pleasant Public Library; began the participation of art students in The Memory Project, a nonprofit charitable organization that invites students to “create and donate portraits to youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges”; encouraged participation in the Olympics of the Visual Arts (OVA) and the Scholastic Art Awards; and more.

PHS Principal Joe Palumbo described Mr. Maron as “a master teacher, a natural leader” whose “commitment to students is second to none” and who “exemplifies the high quality of educators in Pleasantville.”

Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer, County Legislator Margaret Cunzio, and NYS Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti were present to honor Mr. Maron, presenting him with proclamations from their offices as well as from Westchester County Supervisor Rob Astorino, Board of Regents member Judith Johnson, and Governor Andrew Cuomo.