Lori Kenny Honored as New York’s
Top Biology Teacher
The National Association of Biology Teachers has confirmed what Lori Kenny’s colleagues already knew. She’s a remarkable science teacher. The veteran Huntington High School faculty member is New York State’s recipient of the NABT’s Outstanding Biology Teacher Award.
Mrs. Kenny has helped spearhead the rise of Huntington’s science research program, which last year saw then senior Aron Coraor (now a Cornell University freshman) finish sixth in the country in the Intel Science Talent Search, the premier high school science and math competition in the world. She also coaches Huntington’s Science Bowl team, which won the state championship two years ago and reached the national finals.
The Outstanding Biology Teacher Award was formally presented to Mrs. Kenny during a short ceremony at the Huntington School Board’s public meeting on Monday night in the Jack Abrams STEM School auditorium.
“Mrs. Kenny has been integral to the success of Huntington High School’s research program,” Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “As a result of her efforts, the quantity of students enrolling in research courses and participating in top tier research competitions has increased significantly, as has the quality of the work produced by her students. Most importantly, she has introduced students to opportunities available to them at the post-secondary level, as well as potential career options.”
Two years ago Mrs. Kenny worked with Huntington’s 2012 valedictorian Juliana Coraor, who became the school’s first Intel Science Talent Search finalist since 1950. Ms. Coraor is now studying at Yale University.
“The best thing about Lori remains her ability to teach students at every level,” Huntington Principal Carmela Leonardi said. “For several years she taught on a multidisciplinary team comprised of a transitional group of ninth graders who had experienced multiple failures in middle school. These students were unmotivated and demonstrated very low skills. Working with her colleagues, she established a behavior modification program and experienced increased attendance, participation and learning. She has also taught advanced honor classes in biology with great success. Her work with the science research program has already yielded two Intel finalists. I often boast of the fact that there isn’t a student that Lori cannot engage and teach.”
“I am very honored to receive this award,” Mrs. Kenny said. “It is especially exciting because it is a great representation of all teachers in the science department. The challenge to become a better teacher drives me every day and night. The joy in student’s eyes when they are learning biology in my classroom justifies all my hard work. Dr. Leonardi consistently helps me refine my craft and supports my goals. She is an inspiration and a tremendous leader.”
“Every year, the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award program recognizes an outstanding biology educator (grades 7-12 only) in each of the 50 states; Washington, DC; Canada; Puerto Rico; and overseas territories,” according to the NABT website. “A major portion of the nominee’s career must have been devoted to the teaching of biology/life science, and candidates are judged on their teaching ability and experience, cooperativeness in the school and community, inventiveness, initiative, and student-teacher relationships.”
Mrs. Kenny earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology at St. Michael’s College in Vermont in 1998 and obtained a Master of Science in biology at Adelphi University 2000. She also studied wildlife and ecology at the School for International Training in Africa and holds graduate teacher’s certification from Long Island University-C.W. Post College.
A member of Huntington’s faculty since December 2005, Mrs. Kenny currently teaches science research and Honors Living Environment classes.
“Students gravitate to Lori,” Dr. Leonardi said. “She makes them believe in themselves simply because she will never give up on the potential she sees in them. She has a wonderful way of listening intently to what students say and being excited about what interests them. She communicates frequently with parents, opens her classroom door to them and keeps them informed of students’ progress on a weekly basis. It is not surprising that Lori has never written a disciplinary referral on any student.”
Prior to coming to Huntington, Mrs. Kenny worked at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as a lab technician in the department of neurobiology from 1998 to 2005. In this position she conducted collaborative and independent behavioral and molecular genetic experiments, identifying and characterizing genes involved in learning and memory; maintained the inventory of lab reagents and materials, gained highly developed behavioral genetic and molecular skills such as genomic prep, PCR, digests, primer development, brain histology, lax Z and other staining techniques; trained visiting scientists to perform behavioral analysis and performed website development.
In late 2001, Mrs. Kenny represented the Cold Spring Harbor Lab as a teacher at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, lecturing on background material and various techniques, directing the set-up and training of lab technicians on a large-scale forward mutagenesis project and ordering and arranging the shipment of all supplies.
Mrs. Kenny has also worked as a research assistant at St. Michael’s College, in the Adelphi University animal care facility and as a field biology teaching assistant in Colchester, Vermont. As a student in a study abroad program in Tanzania, she developed a project that involved researching giraffes in Arusha National Park. By photo identification and extensive study of behavioral patterns, records were developed for means of protecting endangered animals.
In addition to being proficient in numerous computer software programs, Mrs. Kenny has a working knowledge of Swahili, sign-language and Spanish. She has contributed to several published scientific papers.