Anyone — student, parent, or colleague — who has been in the company of Garden City High School science teacher Michael Stano for even five minutes, knows there is something special about this teacher.
Stano is passionate about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, and brings that passion to bear in the classroom. He teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental
Science at the high school and Regents Earth Science. This year, he implemented the flipped classroom model of instruction for the co-taught Regents class with fellow teacher Allison Moss. “He created a series of 100 videos on various Earth Science topics and has posted them on his You Tube channel and Edmodo page,” explained the school district’s science coordinator, Dr. Elena Cascio. “Mr. Stano generously shares his expertise, skills and knowledge with colleagues and the community.” Mr. Stano also taught and coached two middle school robotics teams this school year, one of which placed first in Robot Performance in the Long Island qualifying rounds of the LEGO FIRST League tournament.
It’s no wonder, then, that this inspirational teacher-leader was named a New York State Master Teacher in mid-April. One of 42 Long Island teachers so named, Stano will become a mentor to peers and receive financial support to deepen his own scholarship and professional development.
Enacted by Governor Cuomo in 2013, the New York State Master Teacher Program (NYSMTP) “recognizes the work of the highest-performing STEM teachers by establishing an expert community dedicated to developing expertise in the areas of content, pedagogy and students families and communities,” according to the State University of New York (SUNY) website (SUNY hosts the cohort of Long Island Master Teachers).
Principal Nanine McLaughlin, teacher Allison Moss, and former student Alex Kinn wrote the NYSMTP recommendations for Stano. “I would like to thank all of you for giving me the opportunities to succeed in Garden City — it really is a great place to work.”
For more information about the program, please visit www.suny.edu/MasterTeacher/ Submitted by Garden City Public Schools
