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PVMS Teacher Recognized as a 2007 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year
Putnam Valley Middle School (PVMS) fifth grade teacher Karen Cestaro has been selected as a 2007 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year. In addition to a framed certificate and a $100 gift certificate for Mrs. Cestaro's class use, PVMS received a $1000.00 grant check and a number of teacher gift boxes for PVMS faculty members. The Wal-Mart and Sam's Club Foundation partners with Phi Delta Kappa International, the world's leading education association, to implement this recognition program. In 2005, Wal-Mart donated more than $4.1 million to local schools with winning teachers.
Mrs. Cestaro is one of 109 local winners in New York State and 4,219 winners nationwide, whose names were announced this month in honor of National Teacher Day. Local Teacher of the Year winners are eligible to apply for the State Teacher of the Year award. State winners receive a one-year membership to Phi Delta Kappa and an additional $10,000 educational grant for their schools. State winners are automatically entered in the national competition. One National Teacher of the Year will be selected from the state winners. The National Teacher of the Year will receive an additional $25,000 educational grant for a total of $36,000 to his or her school.
Success runs in this family: Mrs. Cestaro and her husband Glenn have an accomplished teenage daughter, Jackie, who will graduate from Putnam Valley High School in June and attend Fairfield University on a Presidential Scholarship. "I was pleased and surprised to receive this award," said Mrs. Cestaro. "We had no idea this was happening and we don't know who recommended me." She continued, "I am going to go ahead and apply for the State recognition. I just need to update my resume, which I haven't really needed for a very long time. It's all very exciting!"
PVMS Principal, Ed Hallisey, added, "We are proud that Mrs. Cestaro has been recognized for her hard work and dedication to her students."
The Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year program is one of the largest teacher recognition programs in the country. Since its inception in 1995, the program has recognized more than 25,000 teachers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and contributed more than $19 million to those schools.
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