Outstanding High School Teacher Award recipients announced

The College of Staten Island (CSI) names two Outstanding High School Teacher Award recipients and celebrates CSI’s most outstanding graduates at the college’s 27th Annual Student Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Anna Carter, a recently retired assistant principal of mathematics at New Dorp High School, and Arthur Driscoll, a history teacher at Port Richmond High School, will be named Outstanding High School Teachers for the 2005-2006 academic year.

Carter’s distinction as an educator is based partially on her philosophy of “giving students the tools needed to succeed at the forefront of today’s society,” adding that “an exemplary educator provides an environment that empowers each student to meet and exceed expectations.”

Driscoll, who is partial to teaching U.S. History and Government, says he became a teacher more by accident than design. After years of being a successful commercial real estate broker on Wall Street, he decided to go into teaching after conversations with friends and relatives who teach. His educational philosophy is based on William Butler Yeats’ quote “education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

“My educational goals as a teacher are to create lessons that are interesting to the students” wrote Driscoll in his philosophy of teaching essay. “I also try to create a museum-like atmosphere in the classroom” by bringing in history artifacts that allows students to witness history up-close and personal.

“Devoted teachers do not receive sufficient recognition and we are doing our part in changing this in a small way by offering this award,” commented Deirdre Armitage, chair of the Outstanding High School Teacher Award Committee and director of fieldwork for CSI’s education department.

All nominees for the award were nominated by former students who are now graduating CSI seniors, Armitage noted, adding that “outstanding teachers touch a child’s life in such a way that the student sees possibilities for their future that they hadn’t seen before, and our awardees stood out by making a conscious effort to work with the neediest students and by not giving up until they succeeded. That is an amazing quality.”

The evening begins in the CSI’s Campus Center building with hot and cold hors d’oeuvres. The presentation of the awards will be followed by dessert and coffee. Reservations are required for all faculty, staff, and students and can be arranged by calling the office of Student Life at (718) 982-3088 by Tuesday, May 23.

The event is sponsored by CSI’s Program Development Committee, the CSI Association, Student Government, and office of Student Life.