Nassau BOCES Education Partner Awards Gala

  • Hundreds unite to salute Nassau BOCES' Education Partners

    Education Partner Award honorees
    Accepting the 2024 Education Partner Awards are, back row from left: Dr. Danielle N. Williams; Jerry Nobile; Dawn Haskell-Carbone; Lt. Robert L. Connolly; Laura Bagdziunas; Gary Lewi; Claudia Brunie and Elizabeth Escobar; and Erika Duncan. Front row, from left: Joseph Pelletiere, Joseph E. Pelletiere, and Diane Pellettiere; Michelle Pineda-Rodgers; Dr. Vera Feuer; Stephanie Ralton; Tiffany Wong; Alexia Vitsos; and Nic Escobar.

    Long Island's public education community gathered on May 7, 2024, to pay tribute to some of its greatest advocates. That's when Nassau BOCES presented 14 honorees with its Education Partner award before a cheering crowd at the Crest Hollow Country Club.

    A strategic education partner with school districts since 1967, Nassau BOCES created the awards program to honor those who share the agency's commitment to providing the best possible education to learners of all ages and abilities.

    Following are the 2024 Education Partner Award honorees, by category:

  • EDUCATION PARTNERS
    • Robert L. Connolly, Lieutenant/Commanding Officer, Homeland Security, Nassau County Police Department
    • Vera Feuer, Assistant Vice President, School of Mental Health, Northwell Health
    • Jerry Nobile, Student Support/Admissions/Educator, Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts 
    • Michelle Pineda-Rodgers, Director of Bilingual Education and World Languages, Hempstead UFSD
    • Stephanie Ralton, School Counselor, H. B. Mattlin Middle School, Plainview-Old Bethpage CSD
    • Dr. Danielle N. Williams, Director of Alternative Programs, Valley Stream CHSD

    NASSAU BOCES EMPLOYEES
    • Laura V. Bagdziunas, Teacher, Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts
    • Dawn Haskell-Carbone, Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired/Curriculum Coordinator, Nassau BOCES Vision Services 

  • ORGANIZATIONS
    • The Museum of American Armor, (Gary Lewi, Vice President) 
    • Herstory Writers Network, (Erika Duncan, Founder and Executive Director)
    • For the Love of Pete’s Pantry, (Elizabeth Escobar and Claudia Brunie, Co-Founders)

    STUDENTS
    • Alexia Vitsos, Student, Twilight Program, Bellmore-Merrick CHSD
    • Tiffany Wong, Student, Elmont Memorial High School, Sewanhaka CHSD  

    TEACHER
    •         The late Gina R. Pellettiere, Wind Ensemble and Marching Band Director, Farmingdale High School; Lead Teacher Music, Farmingdale UFSD

Watch the tribute video:

Nassau BOCES pays tribute to its Education Partner Award Honorees for 2024.

Proceeds from awards gala to fund educational innovation

The 2024 Nassau BOCES Education Partner Awards Gala was sponsored by the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation, an independent non-profit organization which raises funds for innovative educational programs that fall outside of the agency's budget.

Grants in Action

Grants in Action: Since 2007, the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation has awarded more than 350 grants totaling over $700,000 to benefit thousands of Nassau BOCES students.