Arlington honors National Board–certified teachers; student describes funded college visits

The Arlington Central School District recognized staff who completed National Board maintenance and certification and heard a student describe a recent college-visit trip funded by a $10,000 grant.

At the start of the Jan. 21 meeting, the board presented certificates to teachers who completed maintenance of their National Board credentials and to colleagues who helped run support classes for other candidates. John Orcutt, a district staff member who introduced the recognitions, said the district once employed “somewhere in the range of 75 teachers” with National Board certification and that Arlington ranked third in the state for the number of such teachers. Orcutt told the board the district has “more than 10% of our staff” nationally certified, noting the district’s roughly “650 or so active teachers.”

Colleen Napura, who identified herself as the Future Teachers Club leader, said she applied for and received a $10,000 grant through NYSIT to fund student visits to teacher-preparation programs that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive for many students. Brianna McDonald, a high school junior who spoke to the board, described the trip: “We visited 4 different colleges, got tours of the colleges by a tour guide assigned by the college, and we also got to stay in a hotel room overnight with my friends.” McDonald said roughly “20 to 30 people” participated and listed SUNY Albany, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oneonta and Mount Saint Mary’s as the colleges visited.

Board members expressed appreciation for both the teachers’ sustained professional work and the student-led activities. The board did not take formal action tied to the recognitions or the student presentation; the items were presented under routine business and the public-comment portions of the meeting.