Holiday Fun Day to Honor Hoboken Teacher Named NJ. State Teacher of the Year

The Hoboken Education Association will honor Wallace Elementary School Teacher Mark Mautone, a N.J. State Teacher of the Year at the Holiday Family Fun Day on Saturday, Dec. 20.

This year’s Holiday Family Fun Day will feature breakfast with Santa, games, food, activities, a dance contest, bouncy houses, slides, and more. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hoboken Junior Senior High School.

Honoring Mark Mautone, NJ State Teacher of the Year

Mark Mautone (pictured), a special education and elementary school teacher in Hoboken, was selected as the 2014-2015 State Teacher of the year by the New Jersey Department of Education.

An educator for 19 years, he received his bachelor’s degree from Kean University and his master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell University. Mautone teaches preschool children with autism at Wallace Elementary School in Hoboken.

Christopher Munoz, a social studies teacher in Hoboken, described Mautone as “an ardent proponent of using technology to enhance instruction of autistic students, and has given presentations from New York City to San Francisco on topics such as using apps to help children with disabilities.”

“Mr. Mautone has a deep enthusiasm for helping his students overcome the challenges they face so that they can receive the best experience possible in the classroom. Yet his dedication to the success of disabled students extends far beyond the classroom,” Acting Education Commissioner David Hespe said at a ceremony honoring Mautone. “He is an inspiration to teachers, parents and members of the community.”

Actively involved in autism support groups, Mautone also serves as a professional advisory board member within the Archdiocese of Newark to help children with autism attend church services and participate in religious education.

Mautone also serves on the Autism Task Force of the National Catholic Partnership for Disability; Hoboken Cares, an organization that provides free workshops that increase understanding and awareness of disabled individuals; and he has organized trainings for teachers, parents and students on autism and bullying.

About the Hoboken Education Association

The Hoboken Education Association is the Hoboken Public School Teachers Union. The HEA represents more than 250 teachers and support staff that work in the Hoboken Public Schools.

Photos courtesy of Christopher Munoz, Hoboken Education Association (HEA) second vice president and HEA Pride Committee Chairman.

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