The Somers Education Foundation (SEF) will induct three persons into its Hall of Fame at its 11th Annual Gala Dinner, Dance & Auction on May 21. This year’s inductees are Marie Ciota, Susan Kolar, and Vinny Liscio. The Hall of Fame honors teachers, administrators and community members who have made significant contributions over many years to supporting the Somers Central School District.
Marie Ciota has been teaching in Somers since 1982, both at Primrose Elementary School and more recently Somers Intermediate School. She has had an enormous impact on hundreds of students. She was part of the group that helped coordinate and pave the way for full day kindergarten to become a reality in Somers. While teaching, she researched the life of Somers resident Caroline Wright Reis because she wanted her kindergarten students to know more about her. This research became her first published book, A Girl to Remember. Ciota also became interested in the “Habits of Mind” after the Primrose Leadership Team (of which she was a member) went to a workshop. Further research resulted in Ciota’s second book, The Mindful Garden, a book of poems for elementary aged children to help teach the Habits of Mind. She resides in Somers and has four grown children.
Susan Kolar, currently Chief Financial Officer of the Food Network and Cooking Channel in New York City, has been a Somers resident since 1994 and has three grown children. She became Treasurer of the Somers Education Foundation in 2002 and held the position for seven years. During that time, under her leadership, SEF saw a major increase in revenue, projects and grant activities. She was previously a volunteer in Somers High School to help enable teacher –parent communication. She was also a parent member of the Somers High School Special Education Committee. Prior to the Food Network, she was the Chief Administrative Officer of Sesame Workshop, a non-profit organization whose mission is to use educational media to help children reach their highest potential.
Vinny Liscio is a 31-year resident of Somers, where he raised his three grown daughters. He is a past president and 21- year member of the Somers Lions Club He is most proud of his efforts to help bring the residents of Somers and many social, community and philanthropic organizations and town officials together to make the annual Independence Day Celebration and Lynn Adams Memorial 5K Run and 1 Mile Walk a reality. Liscio is also an avid cyclist and participated in the 150-mile Journey for the Heart Tour for Friends of Karen, which raised over $180,000 for the organization’s outreach programs. His passion for community service and creating a better world for his grandchildren and beyond have brought him to his current project, ConsciousWine, an organic/biodynamic wine education and information website, due to launch this spring.
Tickets to the Gala Dinner Dance & Auction are $100 per person and are available by registering at www.sefny.org/gala/ or by emailing sarenameyer@sefny.org. The Gala’s honorary chairman is Somers resident Lee Goldberg, the meteorologist at WABC-TV, Channel 7 in New York City.
SEF is a not for profit, tax exempt organization founded in 1994, comprised of parents, school representatives and community members. SEF supports the Somers Central School District by raising funds for specific student and teacher-initiated projects that enrich the education experience and are not funded by the district budget or other school groups.
LINKS:
http://www.sefny.org/three-honorees-chosen-for-somers-education-foundation-hall-of-fame/
A book launch party was held last week at Somers High School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Somers, NY. The book -- On My Mind 2011 -- brings together the writings of suburban and inner-city high school students. Somers and Kennedy Catholic High School students participate as well as a Rockland County suburban school. This year the three inner-city high schools are from the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. The student writers celebrated together at the book launch. 
