Hen Hud Presents Maria Zenon with Extra-Mile Award

From the Hendrick Hudson School District- The presented Maria Zenon, an ESL teacher at both Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School and Hendrick Hudson High School, with the Extra-Mile Award at the December 14, 2011 Board of Education meeting.

Below are remarks delivered by Trustee Charles Thompson at the award presentation.

"Throughout our Hen Hud community any number of people go above and beyond the normal course of their day to provide our students and indeed our community, with a degree of service and dedication that exceeds the expectations and exemplifies what it means to be a “Sailor”.

Once again, we honor an individual who truly believes in her students and the Hen Hud Community. She continually demonstrates the importance of community in our school system and the strength which can be found by reaching out to communities and individuals from all segments of the Hen Hud population.

Maria Zenon first joined the Hen Hud family in September 2008 as an ESL Teacher.  Since joining our staff, Maria has worked tirelessly to involve our non-English speaking families in both our community and school. Through her work with the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Maria has developed relationships with countless families in our community.  These relationships have allowed her to demonstrate the importance of the home-school relationship so these parents can better assist their children in achieving achieve academic success in our schools.

As an educator, Maria has a total dedication to and belief in her students. She knows they will succeed, and does whatever she can to make this happen.  She works non-stop to provide support for every student, in every class. Whether that support is through helping students on their lunch hour or making sure she is available after school, Maria is always looking for ways to reach her students to help them succeed.

Realizing one of the greatest barriers to parental involvement is fear, Maria has spent time helping our non-English speaking families not only feel comfortable, but welcome in our schools and at our events.  Just last week, Maria brought her adult group of English language learners to the B-V PTA meeting to help ESL families feel more comfortable in the school.

In the classroom, Maria is an equally compelling and effective educator.  While she began her career with us at the High School, her role was quickly expanded to include working with the advanced kindergarten students at B-V, to get their English to the proficient level.  The energy, time, commitment and love she put into working with these students was nothing short of remarkable. Through her work, these students achieved with a high level of success.

Being a true 21^st century teacher, Maria uses any and all means available to reach her students and their families.  From using technology in the classrooms to finding ways to connect with the families, Maria is often times at the forefront of technology in our school district. 

An educator’s career cannot be measured purely in test scores or college admissions, though I’m sure Maria’s record would speak for itself in terms of the students who have met success as a direct result of her efforts.  Rather her career should be measured by the impact she has had on her community and schools.

Maria’s impact on the Hen Hud community is immeasurable.  Through all her efforts, Maria has helped to ensure families are able to play a significant role in the education of their child, understand the community around them and most importantly she has instilled in them a sense of community that will not only help them thrive, but make our community a stronger, more coherent and unified community for years to come."