NY Islanders Name Port Washington Educator Teacher Of The Month

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — The New York Islanders recently selected a Port Washington science teacher as the EverFi Future Goals Teacher of the Month for March.

Kenneth DiDonna, a sixth-grade teacher at Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School who was recognized for his effective learning strategies, leverages Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in hockey through Future Goals, an online program that helps students understand real-world applications of science and math principles, according to a Port Washington School District news release.

DiDonna said that for the past handful of years, he has been using Future Goals to introduce kinetic and potential energy to his students, using a hockey puck as an example.

“The puck being dropped is a simple, yet effective way to have the students make a real-world connection to how energy is transformed from one type to the other,” DiDonna said. “I am also an Islanders fan, so it gives me an opportunity to let the students see what I enjoy outside of school, which helps foster relationships.”

“I always enjoy the banter back and forth between the Islanders and Ranger fans when I introduce this topic each year!” he added.

DiDonna, who also coaches soccer and track and field, regularly attends the school district’s Pride in Port Parade and its Unity Day walk, an annual initiative that promotes kindness and bullying prevention, according to school district officials.

Schools superintendent Michael Hynes called DiDonna an “invaluable asset” regardless of “whether it’s in the classroom or on the field.”

“His ability to enhance his students' learning experiences by placing them in virtual environments to energize their interests in STEM has been instrumental in his students’ successes as well as his own,” said Hynes, adding, “We are thrilled to celebrate Ken for this extremely well-deserved distinction.”

DiDonna’s interview with the Islanders can be read here: https://www.nhl.com/islanders/news/islanders-teacher-of-the-month-kenneth-didonna/c-322623334