The annual Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Founders’ Day awards ceremony was held in the LHS auditorium on Feb. 5, 2020. Community members were awarded PTA honorary lifetime membership awards for their contributions to Lynbrook. 

Upon entering the cafeteria, there were several tables with green and gold decorations and posters for each recipient. Each school’s PTA and PTA organizations chose two honorees, including the West End Elementary School PTA, Marion Street Elementary School PTA, Waverly Park Elementary School PTA, Lynbrook North Middle School PTA, Lynbrook South Middle School PTA, Lynbrook High School PTA, and the Lynbrook Special Education PTA (SEPTA). An honoree was also chosen by the Lynbrook Council of PTAs, a PTA organization made up of representatives from around the district.

The ceremony was led by Maria Squiteri, and it ran smoothly and quickly. A PTA member would announce each group, then the presenters for those two awardees would go up to the podium to read speeches for the awardees. Members of the PTA were assigned to read the names of the awardees of each school, and friends, colleagues, or acquaintances of each awardee took on the task of writing a speech and reading it aloud, making the awardee a poster, and presenting them awards. Each recipient was asked to accept an honorary PTA lifetime membership. LHS senior Madelyn Doyle explained how she and senior Samantha Caceres prepared to present their honoree’s award: “My goal was to collect the team’s group photos for the past 25 years. I scanned the photos from the yearbook in the library and compiled them into a poster board. I thought this would really show how many lives coach has touched throughout her time with the varsity swim team. My co-captain, Sam Caceres, wrote the speech that told the audience about how we and our team have been impacted by Coach [Dorothy Amitrano].”

This year’s theme was “the art of caring can change the mind,” and in each awardee’s speech, his/her passion for helping other people was highlighted. The awardees were all members of the community who had exhibited a special caring manner towards students and the community and who had put a lot of time and effort into the schools and community of Lynbrook.

The Marion Street PTA chose to honor parent and PTA member Eileen Linzer and school nurse Janet Lecce. Linzer is a passionate volunteer who started the Quinn Madeleine Foundation to raise funds and awareness for Niemann-Pick disease and to grant memorable experiences to children under the age of three with terminal metabolic disorders through Quinn’s list. Founded in memory of Linzer’s daughter, Quinn Madeleine, who passed away from the disorder at only 15 months old, the foundation is very impactful and holds a 5K race in Lynbrook every year. Lecce is a registered nurse who works as the school nurse at Marion Street. She was recognized for her caring manner towards all who come into her office and her ability to make kids feel better, even if they are not physically ill. 

The awardees from West End were Kerrilyn Marullo, a first-grade teacher, and Tara Aragona, a PTA member. Marullo was recognized for her caring and welcoming manner towards the first graders, and her award was presented by a parent of one of her students, who told an anecdote about Marullo welcoming and mollifying her child, who was in hysterics about leaving her mother, and making sure that child would be in her class to make sure she was comfortable. Aragona was recognized for her active role in the PTA and the Lynbrook community. She is also a local business owner who has a hair salon in Lynbrook.

The Waverly Park PTA awarded Lindsey Scharoff and Geraldine Tarantino. Scharoff is a first-grade teacher at Waverly Park who was honored for her nurturing teaching and encouragement of extracurriculars. Tarantino is a math lab teacher who was awarded for her enthusiasm in helping children to learn and understand.

The SEPTA honorees were special education teacher and aid Victoria Morales and SEPTA president Mindy Ross-Knaster. The presenter of Morales’s award was the parent of a student she aids, who proclaimed her appreciation for Morales for helping her son feel safe and being a guiding and nurturing figure to him. Ross-Knaster is a strong advocate for special education who works hard to help families make sure their children with special needs get the accommodations they need and deserve through her firm, MRK Advocacy.

English Teacher Marianne Healey and North PTA president Erin Wulff were awarded from North Middle. Healey was awarded for her role in the community and her diverse and hands-on teaching methods, such as teaching through songs, videos, and independent reading to encourage the love of reading. Wulff was recognized for her leadership in the PTA and her role in the Lynbrook community.

James Fanning, a teacher, and Alison Cordes, South’s PTA president, were awarded from South Middle. Fanning was recognized for his volunteerism and involvement in extracurricular programs, including South’s yearbook club, CYO hockey, Driver’s Education, and Oswego’s Technology Education Association, and advanced teaching methods, including his Lego Robotics unit, which he was featured on Verizon 1 and News 12. Cordes was honored for her vast involvement in parent organizations. She has held leadership positions in parent organizations of every school her sons have gone to, from Grace Playschool to South, where she is co-president of the PTA and vice president of programs for the PTA Council Health and Safety Committee. She is a strong advocate for all children receiving the best education possible. 

From Lynbrook High School, the awardees were Coach Dorothy Amitrano and Jennifer Derrig. Amitrano was recognized for the years of work she has put into the Lynbrook girls’ varsity swim team. She has been the coach of the swim team for twenty-five years. She also started a middle school swim team at the same time as she was coaching the high school. Amitrano built the team from the ground up, from having only a handful of girls to a team of up to 20 that is largely successful and is moving up to the top conference next season as a result of Amitrano’s strong and caring leadership. Amitrano commented, “I do what I do for the community, as I enjoy working with the youths of today, and show them they are powerful individuals. I was humbled to be honored that night.” 

Derrig also received this honor for her contributions to the community and schools. She is the owner of the Irish Shop in North Lynbrook and has been a large part of many parent committees for the Lynbrook School District. The speech read to her detailed her plentiful efforts to help others, from school committees to individuals in need. Derrig commented, “I am grateful to be honored with the Honorary Life Membership to the PTA. My favorite part was my bio read by Julie Bergin.” She also explained her motivation for her volunteerism: “People often ask me why I do so much. I guess I do it because I can. I consider myself fortunate to have the ability to give back to my community and to help others when needed.” Derrig is also the mother of a senior on the girls’ varsity swim team, Kiera Derrig. 

The varsity swim team came to the event to show its support for both of the LHS recipients. Amitrano appreciated the team’s support: “My favorite part of the ceremony was to see my whole team come out and support me on a Wednesday night after a long day of school and to have my two captains speak about me and get what I’m trying to accomplish for you girls.” Doyle added her admiration for Amitrano’s achievements: “There were 195 total swimmers who have been impacted by Coach’s teaching, kindness, and tradition. It is so important to honor such a special coach who has positively shaped the lives of so many at LHS.”

The Lynbrook Council of PTAs honored Robert Paskoff. Paskoff is the secretary of the Board of Education and an active member of the PTA and Lynbrook community. He is involved in volunteering throughout the community and supporting extracurriculars such as sports and musical groups and events. Paskoff said of his volunteerism, “My parents always volunteered, and I picked that up from them. I feel it was important to also show my kids so they too will follow up. My favorite volunteer thing is to give blood, which my wife and I do regularly. That really makes me feel good.” He also commented on the event, “I was really surprised and certainly honored by the award. I actually had two favorite parts.” He explained that one of his favorite parts was hearing his fellow honorees’ accomplishments, and that he is “always pleasantly surprised by the many things people do and the diversity of all they do.” His other favorite part of the event was the pictures on the poster made for him, as he said, “It truly embodies all phases of my life, from the 1970s picture of when I was in the marching band at South; to pictures of me throwing the shot and discus in school; to one of myself with the statue of basketball legend and my second cousin, Red Auerbach; to a picture of my 90-year-old mother, who still works at South, at the Memorial Day parade; to my kids.”

After the ceremony, there was a reception in the cafeteria with food and drinks. Many gathered around the honorees’ tables and had refreshments. Doyle said of the event, “It was so nice to see so many impactful people be recognized for their dedication to the Lynbrook schools. I also loved how many other teachers, staff, and families were there to support each of the honorees.”