Founders’ Day is an annual Lynbrook PTA awards ceremony that has been held each February for the past 126 years. The ceremony honors individuals in the Lynbrook community who have played a fundamental role in improving the school district. Community members, teachers, and family gathered in the LHS auditorium on Monday, Feb. 2 for this year’s ceremony. The event was organized by the Council of PTAs, and a parent and teacher from each school was presented with a Honorary Life Membership Award. This year’s honorees on behalf of LHS were English teacher Jessica Sanders and parent Kimberly Neri.
After she graduated from Boston College, Sanders began a career in publishing working at BusinessWeek magazine (now BloombergBusinessweek). In the nine years she worked for the magazine, she advanced from reporter to senior producer and won a National Magazine Award. Shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Sanders decided that she wanted a career that would allow her to make a more personal impact. While still working at BusinessWeek, she earned her master’s degree in education. Sanders has been at LHS for 21 years and currently teaches College Journalism and English 9 Honors. She has served as the club advisor to Horizon for the past 18 years. Amy Glanzer, an LHS graduate who presented Sanders with her award, said, “I have seen her impact, not only in my journey [to becoming a teacher], but in the way students still speak about her years later.” Outside of the classroom, Sanders is mom to two high school children, Christian and Audrey, and married to her husband, Mark. She enjoys spending time with them and traveling. Junior Hana DeSliva, who had Sanders in ninth grade reflected on her time in Sanders’ class, said, “Mrs. Sanders is one of the kindest and most understanding teachers in the high school. You can always count on her to help you learn and grow, not only academically but as a person too.”
Timothy Neri, a senior, and his older brother, Danny, presented their mother, Kimberly Neri, with her award, and described her as their “inspiration for [their] life and love of music.” Kimberly is a person who always offers her help to anyone in need. She is an alumni of LHS and has remained in the community ever since graduating from college. She has been a member of West End, North Middle School, and LHS’s PTAs since her three children started in each of those schools. She has contributed to numerous fundraisers and has attended countless school concerts over the years. Kimbery is extremely active in the Friends of Music Organization, serving as secretary and head of hospitality. In addition to her support for musical events, she has always been an avid supporter of her children’s athletic endeavors. She has organized fundraisers for both the boys’ varsity volleyball and boys’ varsity golf teams.
The Council of PTAs’ recipients included Alison Cordes, mother to senior Cooper Cordes, and Pat Alonge. Cordes began her professional career in New York City’s garment district. While her two sons, Cooper and Max (LHS Class of 2023), were young, she developed marketing campaigns for small non-profit companies while being self-employed. In 2017, Cordes joined her husband in running Home Act Properties, a real estate investment business. Since her husband Joe’s passing, Cordes has continued to run the business with plans for future growth. Cordes has had many roles since her children were in school: kindergarten liaison, Halloween co-chair, book fair chair, and a member of the Health and Safety Committee. Currently, Cordes is president of the Hoops Club and an organizer of CPR training for community members. Cooper shared his thoughts about his mom receiving the award: “It felt amazing to see all my mom’s hard work be recognized. My mom is a great role model for me and anyone else with an interest in helping others. All the time and effort my mom put into the PTA truly made a difference, and she helped put a smile on a lot of people’s faces!” Pat Alonge serves as a trustee on the Lynbrook Public Library Board, where she promotes literacy and lifelong wisdom. Alonge is part of a coalition that brings Lynbrook’s Octoberfest to life and co-chairs the children’s events at the library, creating opportunities for families to gather, laugh, and make memories. Crystal Ciccone, who co-chairs the children’s events alongside Alonge, has seen her work up close. Ciccone describes Alonge as a “steady presence, not only in [their] work together, but in her own family’s life more than anything.”
Apart from LHS and the Council of PTAs’ recipients, other honorees included Nicole DeMichele (Kindergarten Center), Quwana Hamilton and Judy Andon (Marion Street), Nicole Mastrande and Maria Viviano (Waverly Park), Tessa Farr and Quintin Irizarry (West End), Julia Bachmann and James Wolf (North Middle School), Michelle Stimac and Raul Pacheco (South Middle School), and Casey Davidson (Lynbrook SEPTA).
After closing remarks, the ceremony concluded in the cafeteria where each honoree had a table set up dedicated to him/her. Congratulations were exchanged, making the evening memorable for the Founders’ Day recipients.
