Joanne Cicio is Indefatigable at Southdown School
Some days it seems as if kids and adults can agree on little. But, the entire Southdown Primary School community is of one mind when it comes to Joanne Cicio: She’s a great teacher.
This is a faculty member who has deep roots in the community, having gone through the school system here and graduating from Huntington High School in 1981. Not surprisingly, her husband, Al Cicio, is a 1980 Huntington grad and a former standout Blue Devil athlete.
Mrs. Cicio earned a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education at SUNY College at Cortland in 1985 and a Master’s degree in gifted and talented education at Long Island University – C.W. Post College.
After teaching second and fifth grades over a four-year period in Port Washington, Mrs. Cicio landed a position in Huntington and was assigned to a fifth grade classroom at Flower Hill School. She later taught first and second grades there, too. “When a vacancy became available in Huntington, I was anxious to go back home,” she acknowledged.
Mrs. Cicio has a “roll with the punches” philosophy and she seizes on opportunities as they develop. When the district re-drew elementary attendance zones, she joined Flower Hill Principal Anthony Barresi in moving over to Jefferson Primary School, teaching first, second and third grades over the years there. “I was one of the turn-key trainers for ‘A World of Difference’ and enjoyed working with the teachers of our district,” she said.
In 2003, after the district embraced the literacy collaborative initiative under then Assistant Superintendent Margaret H. Evers, change was again in the air. “It was at this time that I attended the training sessions as a third grade teacher,” Mrs. Cicio recalled. The specialized training through Lesley University led to a new position.
“The idea of becoming the literacy coordinator and coach appealed to me and I moved over to Southdown Primary School in 2004 to obtain this new position,” she said. “I enjoyed working with the teachers and children at Southdown in this role. Watching our teachers and children become ‘literacy lovers’ was very exciting. The collegiality that was developed around literacy was empowering.”
A Southdown Pillar
“Joanne is one of those special teachers who has such a wonderful passion for teaching and learning that she inspires everyone around her,” Southdown Principal Michelle Marino said. “She is a master teacher and well-respected for her knowledge, commitment and never-ending enthusiasm. We were so fortunate to have had her as our literacy collaborative coach for many years and although that position is no longer active she continues to lead our faculty in best practices and current research. In addition, she facilitates our Southdown literacy team and donates endless hours of her expertise and time to the building instructional support team.”
This is clearly a teacher who loves to learn herself. She’s currently completing Stony Brook University’s Educational Leadership program, which leads to state certification as an administrator and will begin a required internship this month.
“I have no doubt that she will one day take her passion and commitment from the classroom and apply her strengths to a building where she will lead a new generation of teachers and children to reach their full potential,” Mrs. Marino said. “I am so proud to have her on my faculty!”
Mrs. Cicio moved into another new position in 2007, serving as Southdown’s instructional liaison. The post was part of then-Assistant Superintendent Michael O’Brien’s vision for the educational practice known as “response to intervention.”
“This involved working with administrators, teachers, students and parents,” Mrs. Cicio explained. “Working with teachers to help their students reach their highest potential was very rewarding.”
More recently she has been a member of the district’s team meeting with New York University staff. The group is “investigating academic and behavioral strategies to help support children and teachers,” Mrs. Cicio said. “Again, this turn-key training in RTI is also very rewarding. Helping teachers help children is one of the many highlights of my career in Huntington.”
A Gifted Educator
At Southdown, the gifted educator has manned second and third grade classrooms. “I have enjoyed working as the general educator in an integrated classroom over the years,” Mrs. Cicio said. “My philosophy of education would be that all children have the potential to achieve success academically, socially and emotionally. It is the teacher’s responsibility to help their students along this path.”
A familiarity with the community and its expectations and desires has helped Mrs. Cicio flourish in Huntington. “My hope for my students is that they know that they have the ability to be anything they want,” she said. “They have the ability to achieve their highest goals. I hope to instill confidence in my students to face new situations and be successful in all they encounter along their journey in life.”
Making every minute of classroom time count is one of Mrs. Cicio’s core principles. She gives much thought to the daily lessons she presents and the positive atmosphere she strives to create in her room. “I want my students to have a love for learning and the ability to be the best person that they could ever imagine,” she said.
There are 126 school districts on Long Island, but Mrs. Cicio is right where she wants to be. “Working in Huntington has been so rewarding for me,” she said. “The feeling of being ‘home’ has always been important. Huntington is a wonderful town to be connected to. I have seen my former students’ own children in the halls, and it is a reminder to me that our tradition in Huntington continues.”
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