These Public School Math And Science Teachers NYC's Best: Award

NEW YORK CITY — Seven math and science public teachers have been dubbed the city's greatest, nabbing $5,000 and a hat-tip from the Fund of the City of New York.

The 11th Annual Sloan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics in New York City Public High Schools winners, announced this week, won $2,500 for their schools and the prestige of taking the coveted award.

“All are brilliant teachers, colleagues, and school leaders who have changed the trajectory of their students’ lives," said Fund President Mary McCormick.

"New York is a better place because of their passion for teaching, and the lives of thousands of students and their families have been enriched because of them."

Here's who snagged the prize:

Lori Bodner, Brooklyn Technical High School

Algebra II, AP Calculus BC

Lori Bodner teaches at the City’s largest high school, Brooklyn Tech, where she has redefined rigor in the classroom and created a culture that is exciting and demanding in equal measure. From the moment she joined Brooklyn Tech, Ms. Bodner has helped transform the way math is taught. Her students emerge both as masters of content and as mathematicians. A former student says, “Math is daunting. But Ms. Bodner was just so excited about it when she was teaching it. She gave me a real love of math and the courage and confidence to pursue it."

Jared Fox, Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School

Environmental Science, Climate Science

Jared Fox is a master teacher in a school built on the foundations of expeditionary learning. His classroom walls are the starting line for scientific exploration. His environmental science course is dedicated almost entirely to one subject – water. Dr. Fox’s capacity for collaboration allows his classes to work first-hand on environmentally important assignments. His students can be found in waders collecting water samples in the Bronx River, touring the Catskills, building models of aqueducts, and assisting scientists to assess the health of the New York Harbor.

Zach Korzyk, Manhattan Village Academy

Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, AP Computer Science

Zach Korzyk is an extraordinary teacher for the 120 students he sees daily at MVA. He is also a brilliant guide for the 60,000 teachers and 2.4 million students around the world who have used his DeltaMath teaching platform. Mr. Korzyk created DeltaMath to help his Algebra II students and now it is used in middle schools, high schools, and colleges worldwide. A colleague, who was one of the first adopters of DeltaMath, says, “It is really hard to understate how revolutionary DeltaMath is. Mr. Korzyk was an extraordinary teacher before DeltaMath; with DeltaMath, he is helping to create equally extraordinary teachers for generations to come.”

Rachel Mancini, Tottenville High School

AP Chemistry, Regents Chemistry

Rachel Mancini is a star chemistry teacher at Tottenville High School on Staten Island, which has 3,700 students. She previously attended high school at Tottenville, where her father has taught chemistry for the last 18 years of his 31-year teaching career. Her natural aptitude for science and leadership were obvious even as a student. An assistant principal remembers thinking, “If Rachel ever decides to teach, we need to hire her.” After college, Ms. Mancini returned to Tottenville to teach chemistry and was soon recognized as a “once-in-a-generation teacher.”

Robin Norwich, Bayside High School

Regents Physics, AP Physics

Although she was a physics major in college, it was only after an 18-year career in the private sector that Robin Norwich finally realized her dream of becoming a physics teacher. Her classes are among the most rigorous, but Ms. Norwich supports students at all levels. In just her third year at Bayside, Ms. Norwich was voted Teacher of the Year and her acceptance speech captured her love of physics and her sense of humor; “I want you to know, each of you, that you all matter. That is, unless you multiply yourselves by the speed of light, then you are all energy. For those of you in my classes who don’t get the joke, come see me.”

Aida Rosenbaum, Bronx Latin School

Regents Earth Science, AP Environmental Science

A graduate of Bronx High School of Science and Mount Holyoke College with experience working at the Biosphere 2 in Arizona, Aida Rosenbaum decided to become a teacher 16 years ago as a matter of social justice. Since Ms. Rosenbaum arrived at Bronx Latin four years ago, she has transformed the school’s science department with over 90% of all students passing the Regents Earth Science exam. A current senior at Bronx Latin says, “Ms. Rosenbaum didn’t just prepare me for college, she prepared me for my future. And not just me. She makes all her students think about what really matters. What is going to make us happy and proud to have done something worthwhile with our lives?”

Lisa San Martin, The Queens School of Inquiry (QSI)

Algebra I, Pre-Calculus

Lisa San Martin is described as “a great teacher who changes lives” at QSI, which serves a diverse population of recent immigrants. Ms. San Martin is a master at calibrating her classes to meet the individual needs of each student. A former student, Zalal Ahmed, noted that there is no escape from her caring and attention. “I have always been good at math, which meant I could often coast through classes. No way with Ms. San Martin. She kept challenging me every second,” he explains.