The Syracuse City School District Educational Foundation hosted its 12th Annual Recognition Breakfast at the OnCenter on Saturday, March 28, 2015 . Each year, the SCSD Educational Foundation recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations that have gone above and beyond in their personal or corporate support of students, teachers or the City School District. This year, the Foundation’s Board of Directors selected the following individuals and institutions to receive awards and acknowledgement during the event:
Patrick F. Spadafora: After 38 years of teaching, serving as principal at Henninger High School as well as SCSD Director of High School and Vocational Education, Pat Spadafora retired from the Syracuse City School District in 1991. For his many years of service Pat has received many awards and commendations, and he has been active as a volunteer in the District for years. As a member and former President of the Syracuse Rotary Club, Pat has continued to support programs and student achievement at Henninger High School and in the District. Pat was a student at Franklin School, Grant Junior High School, and graduated from North High School and has also been active in the North High Alumni group.
Laurence G. Bousquet: Larry Bousquet is managing partner at Bousquet Holstein PLLC law firm and will be presented with the Foundation’s Founders Award. He is a 1973 graduate of Henninger High School, and has supported student and faculty in the Syracuse City School District in many different ways. He recently stepped down after serving six years on the SCSD Educational Foundation Board of Directors where he also served as Chair of the Foundation’s Grants Committee. In addition, Larry has also supported funding for Syracuse City School projects while serving on the Board of Syracuse 20/20, and as current Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Gifford Foundation. Together with the attorneys at his law firm, Larry has participated as a Reading Buddy at Seymour Dual Language Academy, and spends a day each month reading to elementary school children. Larry has also been an active member of the Henninger High School Alumni Association.
Enrichment Partners: The Foundation also acknowledged all nine of the SCSD Enrichment Partners who work with different schools throughout the District. There was a special recognition of The Redhouse Arts Center, SUNY ESF, Museum of Science and Technology (MOST), Baltimore Woods Nature Center, Syracuse University, Syracuse Stage, Peaceful Schools, Catholic Charities, and Contact Community Services. In 2014, Superintendent Sharon Contreras reached out to several of the community’s first-class cultural institutions and higher education partners to create a unique opportunity to offer high-quality enrichment programming to schools in the District that currently provide or are in the planning stages of providing extended learning time to students. The goals of this partnership were to align with the goals of the educational programs of each institution and the District, and to provide high-quality enrichment to 100% of students in partnering schools in STEM, the arts, and communications. This enrichment would be provided to students while teachers were in collaborative planning time and professional development. This partnership between the District and these institutions provides at least 60 minutes a day of enrichment instruction and includes a partnership with the National Center on Time and Learning to ensure that schedules allow for daily enrichment for all students; intervention and acceleration opportunities through differentiated instruction; common planning time and professional development for teachers during that school day and weekly data analysis time. The enrichment program is a year-round process and collaborating partners have hired staff and developed curriculum, established material and supply requirements, and build schedules with their partner schools.
The Foundation also recognized four “Educators of the Year” from the Syracuse City School District. They included Meghan Goodness, Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education, Hughes Elementary School; Colleen Jackson, Medical Assistant Instructor, Henninger High School; Edward “Ted” Klamm, Teaching Assistant, Salem-Hyde Elementary School; and Patricia Clark, Executive Director, SCSD Office of Student Support Services. The Educational Foundation, in cooperation with the Syracuse City School District, is proud to recognize men and women who help to ensure educational excellence in the School District. Each year, the Foundation recognizes one elementary teacher, one secondary teacher, one administrator, and one support staff member. To be eligible, an Educator of the Year candidate must be a full-time staff member and they can be nominated by colleagues, students, parents, or community organizations. Key factors that are considered in the selection process are the individual’s unique abilities that make an individual outstanding among his or her peers. Winners of these awards are staff members who demonstrate a willingness to go “above and beyond” and who provide support to students in an exceptional manner.
The Foundation also introduce this year’s Foundation Grant recipients and each school project funded had a table top exhibit for guests to see in the foyer of the OnCenter Ballroom prior to the breakfast program. For this year, the Foundation provided over $52,000 to fund 16 different projects in Syracuse City Schools. Teachers and students will be on hand to demonstrate and show how their projects are progressing.
