29 LI educators honored as 'school heroes' at Smithtown ceremony
Nearly 30 school employees were honored last month with 2026 Long Island School Hero Awards by the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying. Credit: Day and Night Photography
Twenty-nine local school employees are showing students what it takes to be a hero.
The Long Island Coalition Against Bullying honored the group last month for their “extraordinary contributions” to student lives by issuing them the organization’s 2026 Long Island School Hero Awards.
The honorees — who range from support staffers to administrators — were nominated by parents, peers and students within their school communities. They were celebrated at The Watermill in Smithtown on Oct. 19.
“What makes these individuals so special is that they don’t do any of it for recognition,” said Joe Salamone, the coalition’s executive director. “They simply do what they believe is right for their student.”
Honorees and their schools districts were: Brooke Yonick, Bayport-Blue Point; Christina Helbock and Gloria Jaramillo, Brentwood; Jillian Kelly, Carle Place; Kristin Corso, Commack; Joanna Pisani, Connetquot in Bohemia; Michelle Champlin and Carla DeVito, Deer Park; Stacy Calcanes, East Meadow; William Riedel, Elwood; Josselin Morales and Lauren Vega, Farmingdale; Stephen Goldberg and Paul Reilly, Great Neck; Michael Florence and Christopher Smalley, Hauppauge; Ancy Paulose, Lindenhurst; Jamie Keuthen and Benedict Tieniber, Lynbrook; Kayla Pollenz, Oyster Bay-East Norwich; Jennifer Thearle, Plainedge; Kathryn Miedl and Lauren Timoney, Seaford; and Maria Corso and Emma Poppe, Smithtown.
Other honorees were: Tiffany Belferder, Fusion Academy of Long Island in Woodbury; Kelly Fitzpatrick, B.E.S.T. Learning Center in Smithtown; Jonathan Kaplan, Woodward Children’s Center in Freeport; and Lori Neazer, Harmony Heights School in East Norwich.
Jill Kelly, a Spanish teacher at Carle Place High School, said the award is a reminder of “why I love what I do.”
“I am truly honored to receive this award, especially knowing that I was nominated by one of my students,” Kelly said in a statement. “There is no greater feeling than knowing you have made a difference in a student’s life.”
Joanna Pisani, the director of pupil personnel services for Connetquot, said she was “honored and humbled.”
“I share this recognition with my incredible mental health team, whose dedication and compassion foster a school culture that prioritizes the well-being of our entire community,” Pisani said. “Together, we make a meaningful difference in the lives of children, and I am deeply grateful to be part of that work.”
ELMONT
PEER MEDIATION
Clara H. Carlson Elementary School has launched a new peer mediation program in which a group of 20 fifth- and sixth-graders volunteer during recess to support their younger peers in grades K-3.
The program, which kicked off in the spring, started with a three-day training for the older students to develop listening and conflict resolution skills they later used by “encouraging turn-taking and fairness and promoting peaceful problem-solving,” school officials said. It also encourages excellence by recognizing a “Mediator of the Month.”
“Our fifth and sixth-grade mediators have stepped into their roles with a lot of responsibility and care,” school counselor Jane Dragovich said in a statement. “They’re already making a positive impact during recess.”
WEST HEMPSTEAD
NEW PRINCIPAL
Jessica Rivera has been appointed principal of George Washington Elementary School in the West Hempstead Union Free School District.
Rivera, who replaced Robyn Milliner, previously served as an assistant principal at Baldwin High School. Before that, she was a dean and fifth-grade dual language teacher for the Huntington Union Free School District.
“One of the things I appreciate most about West Hempstead is how incredibly welcoming the staff and community have been,” Rivera said in a statement. “I’m grateful to be part of a community where relationships, collaboration, and a shared commitment to our students are so clearly valued.”
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
