Marlboro Middle School math teacher earns honor
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

MARLBORO — Terry Castoria, a Marlboro Middle School math teacher, was recognized by the Board of Education on Jan. 18 for being selected as the recipient of the 2004 Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Junior High/Middle School Mathematics Teaching.

The award is presented by the Mathematical Association of America to teachers who have contributed to the success of some of the highest scoring students on the American Mathematics Contest 8. Castoria was selected for the award due to the outstanding performance of the top three students at the Marlboro Middle School in the past three years, according to information provided by the board.

The Sliffe Award has been presented to high school teachers since 1989 and to middle school teachers since 1995. The award is made possible by a donation from Edyth May Sliffe, a former mathematics teacher in Emeryville, Calif.

Stephan Charton, principal of the Marlboro Middle School, said the award was well-deserved. He said Castoria is an excellent math teacher and he values her as a member of the faculty.

Castoria said the words of Charton, her fellow teachers and Superintendent of Schools David Abbott meant a great deal to her, perhaps even more than the award itself.

“I’m overwhelmed,” she said. “Teaching was a dream of mine since I was 5 years old.”

In other business at the Jan. 18 meeting, the board accepted the retirements of several employees. Seven employees were recognized by the board that evening and others will be recognized at upcoming meetings. All of the retirements will be effective June 30, with one exception.

Helene Barth has been an instructional assistant in the district for more than 21 years. She has worked for at least four different principals, assisted more than 1,000 students and worked with many teachers over the years, according to information provided by the district.

“You learn to work together and trust each other. You have good times and bad times, but working with the children is always an adventure,” Barth said.

Mary Byrnes, a guidance secretary at the Marlboro Middle School, will be retiring on April 30 after 17 years as the voice and face of the student services office.

Gloria Drogan began her career as a substitute teacher in 1966 and then went on to become a teacher at the Marlboro Middle School, Asher Holmes Elementary School and Marlboro Memorial Middle School. By designing her classroom to be a warm and inviting space for learning, Drogan is able to nurture her students while skillfully evaluating their comprehension of curricular content, according to information provided by the district.

Elliot Koffler has been a school psychologist in Marlboro since January 1981. According to district administrators, he always shows great concern and care when it comes to the children, parents and staff members with whom he works. Administrators said Koffler excels at identifying a student’s needs and designing programs to match those needs.

John Lambert is retiring after serving the district as an elementary education teacher since 1973. Administrators said he makes students and teachers feel empowered to learn at their own pace and recognizes the individual strengths of his students and honors their efforts to learn.

Suzanne MacNeil is retiring after more than 34 years as a secretary in the Marlboro department of curriculum and instruction. Tom Nicola, director of curriculum and instruction, credits her with having exceptional office skills especially in the area of bookkeeping, according to information provided by the board.

Deborah Davis will have completed 17 years as an elementary school teacher in the district when she retires in June.