June 30, 2015 – On June 15, 2015, Jonathan “Luke” Young, a 10th-12th grade social studies teacher at William Cullen Bryant High School, received his 2015 Big Apple Teaching award!
Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced the winners of the third annual Big Apple Awards: Recognizing Teacher Excellence in New York City, which celebrates the incredible and life-changing work of public school teachers in New York City. The Big Apple Awards is a citywide recognition program open to all full-time teachers in New York City public schools. 12 award recipients, along with an additional 72 finalists and semifinalists from a pool of over 4,500 nominees, were honored in a ceremony at Manhattan Supreme Court.
The 12 award recipients included 11 teachers and one arts educator. During all stages of the process, candidates were reviewed based on their ability to demonstrate exceptional success in three key competencies aligned to the Framework for Great Schools: impacting student learning, demonstrating instructional practice, and contributing to their school community. Award recipients received a classroom grant of $3,500 to deepen their work with students.
The Big Apple Award ceremony is the culmination of a rigorous process that includes community nominations, principal and colleague recommendations, applicant essays, an interview, and a classroom observation. The 4,500 nominations from students, families, teachers, school staff, administrators, and other community members represent a 40 percent increase from the number of nominations received last year. Nominees came from over 1,200 schools across the City. After an initial screening, 500 nominees were invited to submit an application that included essays as well as principal and colleague recommendations. Following a review of the applications, 84 semifinalists were interviewed, with 40 advancing to the finalist round and receiving a classroom visit. A Board of Judges composed of Department of Education officials and a representative from the United Federation of Teachers selected 11 of the 12 award winners.
“Young people inspire me, and I want to show all children that they have the power to be successful,” Mr. Young explained. Mr. Young teaches with a sense of purpose and the work pays off: 100% of his students pass the Regents exam and many receive college credit for the Advanced Placement courses he teaches. His investment in students extends beyond the classroom, as he often helps them prepare for job interviews, college applications, and SATs. He also leads the Moot Law Team and serves as the Teacher Director for the Law and Forensics Learning Community, a program he created to help establish law-related internships in the community. Mr. Young inspires students to explore careers in law and civics, even helping one student meet Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor.
Photography by Herman Van den Brandt. Article written by Valerie Kornitchouk.