04/19/2009
Area teachers, teaching assistants, school administrators and College faculty will entertain their colleagues and celebrate teaching with a variety show featuring music, humor and reflections on Wednesday, May 6, at SUNY Cortland.
The 20th annual "Celebration of Teaching: A Cabaret Evening of Entertainment" will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a dessert buffet and social gathering in Corey Union Function Room.
The variety show follows at 7 p.m. and features area educators as entertainers celebrating the joys of teaching and learning.
Educators may attend the celebration for free but must pre-register by Tuesday, April 28. Interested persons should contact SUNY Cortland's Center for Educational Exchange at (607) 753-4214 or cee@cortland.edu.
The event, coinciding with National Teacher Appreciation Week, is hosted by the Center for Educational Exchange with support from the President's Office at SUNY Cortland. Co-sponsors include the teacher centers serving Cayuga-Onondaga, Central New York, Cincinnatus, Cortland County, Dryden, Lansing-Groton, Syracuse and Tioga.
Approximately 150 past, present and future educators throughout the Central New York region are expected to attend, as well as SUNY Cortland faculty and students, according to Virginia Marty, the Center for Educational Exchange director.
"During National Teacher Appreciation Week, Celebration of Teaching is a special opportunity for SUNY Cortland to honor all educators and acknowledge the many contributions they make to children and their communities," Marty said. "The College appreciates that our practicum and student teachers are welcomed into area schools throughout the school year, thereby providing them with valuable, interactive learning experiences. This 20th anniversary celebration provides all levels of educators a time to gather and enjoy an evening to laugh, reflect and celebrate as all are reminded that we appreciate and need teachers because ‘teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.'"
Former deejay Tom Turck will emcee the ceremonies for a fourth year. The principal for six years at Homer Junior High School, Turck is a longtime teacher and school administrator. SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum will offer the welcome at this event.
The entertainment lineup includes:
- Kristy Alberry will share the humor she finds in her life as a third grade teacher at Cortland's Smith School and will offer her talents as a vocalist in a performance she calls "Real Teachers."
- Janet Griffin will share humorous stories on teaching in her follow-up to last year's memorable first Celebration of Teaching performance. Griffin retired last year as a second grade teacher at Randall Elementary School in Cortland after 33 years as an educator. She has joined Cortland High School as a dropout prevention specialist. Her performance is titled, "I'm Retired?"
- William "Bill" Hopkins, SUNY Cortland emeritus professor of psychology, has regaled the audience at Celebration of Teaching in the past with his witty anecdotes. This year he will screen images of the SUNY Cortland-Belize Partnership in Special Education project and discuss the exciting new direction his teaching has taken as a project volunteer. The Website that Hopkins developed - http://drbillsplace.org/ - offers teachers in Belize and elsewhere ways to identify and help students with special educational needs.
- Dorothy Thomas will share some of her favorite songs as piano background music when guests arrive. A member of SUNY Cortland's Gospel Choir and a 1977 SUNY Cortland graduate, she sings and plays in many of the College's performances. Thomas is a resource room aide in her ninth year at Cortland Jr./Sr. High School.
- Dennis "Denny" Wright is a well-known retired public school educator who returns for the 20th anniversary event to play his guitar and sing his original songs written for teachers about teaching. As founding director of the Cortland-Homer Teacher Center, he was an active partner with Mary Connery in initiating the first Celebration of Teaching. He performed in each of the first 10 events and wrote several songs specifically for the evening.