Vernon Literacy Coach Tracy Zambelli has been recognized as a New York State English Council (NYSEC) Educator of Excellence. Zambelli and Valerie Vacchio, supervisor of the English Language Arts/Reading/Library Media Department, attended a celebratory luncheon on Oct. 24 at the NYSEC conference in Albany.
Many of the people who know Zambelli best stepped up to sing her praises.
James H. Vernon School Principal Nancy Gaiman said. “I have worked with Tracy for six years, and as the principal of the building, I am proud to say that she has been an absolute asset to the school and to me personally.”
Gaiman described Zambelli as “the rare combination of organized, creative, dedicated and enthusiastic” and noted that Zambelli is “well-respected by teachers, administration, students and the community and she is always approachable and knowledgeable about English/Language Arts in the schools.”
This year, said Gaiman, Zambelli was asked to service the sixth grade A.I.S. students in addition to performing her literacy coaching responsibilities.
“Although this added countless hours to her already busy schedule, Ms. Zambelli embraced the position with a smile and is working effectively with our sixth-graders who are deficit in reading and writing. The sixth grade teachers have complimented her often in regard to her ability to engage and assist students in this very important subject area.
“I cannot think of another person on my faculty who deserves to receive this honor more. It is without reservation that I recommend Ms. Tracy Zambelli for this award.”
Vernon teacher Joanne Loring, who runs the Atlantis Program for the gifted and talented, works closely with Zambelli.
Loring said, “I am in support of Ms. Tracy Zambelli as an Educator of Excellence. She is an outstanding educator, a hard worker, and an eager collaborator. In her role as Literacy Coach, Ms. Zambelli is consistently available as a resource for other educators in English Language Arts. She is usually the first person I go to when I have a question or would like some support related to English Language Arts. I know I can count on her for her insights and for many useful, relevant resources. Her eagerness to share her knowledge and resources regularly supports my work and that of my colleagues.”
Even her students chimed in on the value of a teacher like Tracy Zambelli. As a group, Alexia Aasheim, Sophie Grady, Matthew Wong and Muskan Kumar got together to say, “We support Ms. Zambelli because she’s a wonderful, helpful teacher who we have known for several years at the James H. Vernon School. We’ve enjoyed every minute with Ms. Zambelli during Newbery Book Club discussions. She even creates related games to help us start new discussions.
“Not only does she run the Newbery Book Club, she also teaches mini-lessons in our classrooms during reading, writing, and social studies time. Ms. Zambelli always finds wonderful strategies to help us become better readers and thinkers. If you were to look around her room, there are many different charts and posters that can help everyone. She is very good at helping you with anything you need. She helps both teachers and students.
“Ms. Zambelli is an awesome teacher and will always put a smile on your face.”
