Huntington Foundation to Honor Michelle Marino
The Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education will honor Southdown Primary School Principal Michelle Marino with the group's Spirit Award at the 19th Annual Reach for the Stars fundraising gala on Friday, January 20, 2012 at the elegant Woodlands in Woodbury.
This marks Mrs. Marino's 28th year in education, 27 of which have been spent in Huntington. She graduated in 1979 from Long Island University - C.W. Post College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education and earned a Master of Science in elementary education in 1989 from Dowling College, where she also obtained her certification in school administration in 1994. She is certified to teach nursery school through sixth grade, K-12 art and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL).
"This honor, the Spirit Award, means a tremendous amount to me," said Mrs. Marino, who is widely known as Shelly. "It's been 28 years of pure joy doing what I love most and being a part of this amazing school district! Although I have experienced a tremendous amount of changes that have challenged all of us, these challenges have never tarnished my enthusiasm or pride for this profession."
Mrs. Marino has been Southdown's principal since 2003. Behind her leadership, Southdown School won the International Alliance for Invitational Education's prestigious 2010 Inviting Schools Award.
One of Mrs. Marino's well-known strengths is her ability to work collaboratively with members of the school community to create an environment that is educationally stimulating for students.
"I approach each new day with optimism and delight and for this I give a tremendous amount of credit to the wonderfully talented professionals that surround me, my parent community who support me and most of all, the students who inspire me," Mrs. Marino said. "This award is for all of us!"
Over the past nine years, the Huntington Foundation has presented its Spirit Award to Barbara Cutrone, John J. Finello, Doris Quintilian, Vicki Mingin, Beverly Wayne, Lou Giani, the district's nursing staff, Eunice Marchi and Joan Fretz.
The Huntington Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of the district's schools. Since parents created it in 1993, the Foundation has funded about $850,000 worth of educator-generated grants.
Planning for the winter gala is already well underway. The evening will feature cocktails, music, dancing, dinner, raffles, silent and live auctions and much more. Tickets will go on sale in the fall. Seating will be limited.
The Foundation is inviting individuals and companies to participate in the festive gathering by purchasing journal ads, donating goods or services to be auctioned off or by making monetary contributions. For more information about the opportunities that exist call Karen Dwyer at (631) 421-4037.