Doris Quintilian: Math Teacher Extraordinaire
Doris Quintilian is one of those gifted teachers that can take complicated and sometimes confusing topics and simplify the material in a way that allows students to quickly master it and move on to new challenges. She’s earned many awards through the years but none more important than the endorsement of Huntington students themselves, who give her glowing marks.
Immensely popular with alumni as well as the teenagers enrolled in her classes today, Mrs. Quintilian conveys a sense of confidence and calmness that sends an unmistakable signal to her students that “everything is going to be fine,” even when they might be in a full-fledged panic.
When the Huntington Foundation announced it had chosen Mrs. Quintilian as the recipient of its 2009 Spirit Award, colleagues on Huntington’s faculty applauded the news as a well-deserved honor for the widely-respected teacher.
“Doris Quintilian is the paragon of math teachers and it is my honor and privilege to have her on the team,” said O. Wayne Edwards, district director of math. An aura of excellence has always surrounded the legendary educator. She was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Copiague High School and that same commitment to perfection pervades her work today with students of every ability level.
“Doris has always been dedicated to the math profession,” teacher Monica Racz said. “She is often staying late after school helping students of all levels of ability. She is also helpful in assisting her peers with ideas how to teach a topic. When I am stumped on a question from a student, I go and ask Doris. I really feel blessed to work with her.”
A very modest person, Doris Catherine Quintilian has helped take the stress out of math for over 3,500 Huntington students during a career that has spanned 36 years and seen her ply her craft at both the junior high and high school levels. “A teacher is an educational parent,” she said. “He or she creates a nurturing atmosphere, provides support and guidance, and watches a student grow. In honoring one educator, the Foundation honors all the past, present and future educators in the Huntington School District. All of us are humbled by and grateful for the recognition.”
Mrs. Quintilian came to the district in Sept. 1972 after graduating magna cum laude from SUNY Stony Brook with a B.S. degree in mathematics and English. She taught at J. Taylor Finley Junior High School through June 1989 when she moved to Huntington High School. She has won numerous honors over the years ranging from being recognized for excellence by the Harvard Club of Long Island to being selected as the “Teacher of the Year” by Huntington’s Class of 2007.
Currently the Math honor society’s faculty advisor, Mrs. Quintilian, who also earned a graduate degree at Stony Brook, was the high school’s facilitator for the prestigious national Madelbrot competition. Her children, Joseph (’99) and Mary (’01) are both graduates of Huntington High School. Joseph currently owns a propriety commodity trading desk on the NYMEX and Mary is an associate at Goldman Sachs.
“As a new teacher I needed all the support and guidance I could get,” Lynn Hendricks said. Doris was and is always there to share her experience. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful role model and mentor.”
One recent year saw 9-of-11 students in one of Mrs. Quintilian’s classes earn“Double 5’s” on the difficult AP BC Calculus exam. Is it any wonder why students give the her straight A’s?
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