Rosanne Pettignano-Kirchmann
St. Barnabas Elementary School
Bronx, New York

"It is my deeply held belief that learning is a lifelong journey, which must be fun. I am deeply honored to be back in the community of my youth in an attempt to bring a bit of the world around us into our classroom."

"It is impossible to fully incorporate into words the lessons, that come to life each day in her room. Her classroom reflects her students' love of learning. Her lessons blend a variety of approaches. It is an honor to have her with us!"

Each year, Rosanne and her students turn their class into "Two-Two Town" -- a safe learning environment that encourages supportive language, kindness, self-expression, and learning. Here, as active residents of the class town, all are equal and treated with respect. In Two-Two Town everyone has a role and a set of responsibilities that change throughout the year. The clusters of tables that the children sit at are each associated with an element of community life (i.e., the fire and police departments, bank, school, hospital, post office, etc.). Through the creation of street names and by labeling directions, her students create a life-size map that helps them gain measurement and mapping skills. Rosanne integrates reading, the writing process, language arts, math, science, and social studies into the Two-Two Town curriculum.

Other Highlights:

• Outstanding Graduate Student Award Graduate Merit Scholar, Pace University, 1997
• Outstanding Educator and one of the "New York Top 200 of 2001-02," New York Post 2001
• Citation of Merit for Excellence in Education issued by Adolfo Carrion, Jr., President of the Borough of the Bronx. 2001-02
• Certificate of Appreciation issued by the Woodlawn Heights Taxpayers & Community Association, Inc., for dedication to and special commendation in the field of education, 2001-02
• Recognized for outstanding achievement in education in Bronx Times "Woodlawn Honors Top Teacher," 2002
• Graduate Research Project selected for entry in University's Library as an educational reference guide, 1996
• National Honor Society Memberships for excellence in academics, education, and foreign language include: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Kappa, Pi Lambda Theta, and Alpha Mu Gamma
• Introducing original poetry and foreign language (French/Spanish) on a daily basis
• Collaborating with the Community Share Project and the Quest for Peace's 17th Annual Clean Your Desk Campaign to benefit Nicaraguan children
• Providing training for student teachers, 1997-Present
• Foreign language teacher for afterschool programs: developing curriculum and providing instruction for French and Spanish classes
• Organizing and offering instruction for a Second Grade Reading Program
• Middle States Accreditation Evaluation Committee Member Steering & Leadership/Organization
Committees, Reading Committee Chairperson, Mathematics and Philosophy Study Committees, 2000-2002
• Taught undergraduate French at University of North Carolina, 1991
• Writing training and procedures manuals and training senior management for international finance at Citibank, N.A., 1987-1991