E1B BOCES Monthly Spotlight: March 2022
See message below from the I.D.E.A Culture & Climate Subcommittee
Hello,
We are excited to announce that we will be starting a E1B BOCES Monthly Spotlight. The purpose of this activity is for us to share information about ourselves, get to know our colleagues better, create meaningful connections, build relationships, create a strong sense of community, and celebrate our differences. Please consider participating by clicking and completing this E1B Staff Spotlight Submission Form.
The information that you choose to provide will be included in the monthly Inside Story. Please only share information that you feel comfortable sharing publicly. Leave out any information that you prefer not to share.
Warm Regards,
The I.D.E.A Culture & Climate Subcommittee
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Hello my name is Denise Hale. I am proud to say that I have almost 20 years of service with BOCES. My title is PDPCC and I work in the Technology Services Department on the Cafeteria Support Team. In this role I am responsible for providing software support and training for over 50 of our component districts. I am a first generation, born and raised Buffalonian. However, I ventured outside of the Buffalo area, landing myself in Los Angeles California for about 5 years. Eventually returning to my hometown. My close friends and colleagues would probably describe me as “ kind and nice”. For fun I love to plan events, cook and bake. Pre-covid I often brought in homemade treats to share with my co-workers and friends.
Hello my name is Elizabeth Briceno. Many of my great aunts from Germany, my great grandma from Hungary, my grandma and my mom are named Elizabeth (or their middle name is Elizabeth). In keeping with tradition, my daughters both have Elizabeth for middle names. I was born and raised in Gowanda, NY. I have 2 daughters ages 20 and 31. The oldest lives in Cerillos, NM and the youngest lives at home and attends Buffalo State. I think people close to me would describe me as loyal, honest and caring.
I am proud to say that I have taught Spanish here at BOCESfor 27 years. I teach all levels of Spanish as needed and have taught in ALP, Twilight, CCRA, Maryvale and Center Base. I also enjoy doing Home Instruction for the component districts. The best thing about my job is the students and watching them succeed when they come to us. I keep in touch with so many former students who are so thankful they had the opportunity to come to ALP.
My first authentic experience with the Spanish language and culture was when I was 15. I lived in Mexico with a family for a few months. This experience sparked my interest in the Spanish speaking world and I left Mexico with an appreciation for other cultures and languages.
An interesting fact that many may not know about me is that I love to play tennis and volunteer with the USTA.
Hello, my name is Nicole Kerner, LMSW. I am a licensed master social worker, practicing in the field for over 17 years. I am in the Technology Services Department, on the ETeam; as a Erie 1 BOCES coordinator. In this capacity I provide behavior support, mental health support, and professional development to several districts within Erie County. In my work with teachers and administrators I use evidenced based practices for creating and cultivating a positive learning environment, where all students can succeed. A large part of my focus & the lens through which I carry out this work includes Trauma Informed Care, Restorative Practices, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Prior to working for BOCES, I was employed with a local school district, and charged with the primary task of leading the entire district with implementing a behavioral support system throughout their k-12 buildings. In this capacity I was responsible for collaborating with administrators and staff in creating systems that support the “whole child”, including both academic and social emotional support. A large part of this work involved Restorative Practices and Trauma Informed Care.
I was drawn to this work because of my passion for wanting every student to feel welcome, accepted, and confident in their learning environment. As a bi-racial student growing up in a predominantly white school system, that was something that I often struggled with. Understanding the impact that these factors have on a student's overall outcomes has driven me to be “the change that I want to see”. Using each day as a teaching and learning opportunity, with the goal of being a positive influence in the lives and environments that I am privileged to be a part of; regardless of the time allotted.
I was born and raised in Buffalo, in the suburbs of Williamsville. My mother is a retired nurse and my father is a retired counselor. Both of my parents instilled in me and my 2 older sisters the importance of education & being a positive contributor to society. I attended and graduated from Buffalo State college, where I earned a bachelor of science degree. My major was Psychology with a concentration in child development. I also attended and graduated from the University of Buffalo, where I earned my Master of Social Work Degree and soon after earned my Social Work License. My major was Social Work with a concentration in children and youth.
I have been married for 22 years to my husband Marlon and we have 3 beautiful kids, Elijah (20), Kendyl (18) and Gabriel (16). And our dog Jazzy, a 2 year old black lab-pitbull mix. My family and close friends would probably describe me as passionate, loyal, organized, nurturing, and family oriented. An interesting fact that many may not know about me is that when I was 19, I was in the Miss Teen Buffalo Pageant and came in 1st runner up and was voted by the other contestants as overall Miss Congeniality.
I enjoy reading, learning new things, and spending time with family and friends. I try to surround myself with positive people. I love inspiring quotes and will end with this one….“Be the reason someone feels welcomed, seen, heard, valued, loved and supported”. ? “ The people you choose to surround yourself with can either inspire you, or drain you, pick wisely” ?
Hello my name is Taylor Watson. I work as a Consultant Teacher at EDGE Academy. I am in my third year of service. The best part about my job is working with a wide variety of students and teachers to help our students reach their educational goals. I actually started in suspension at the Learning Center before transferring to EDGE Academy.
I grew up in Lancaster, but I studied abroad in Manchester when I was in college. I love traveling, whether it's Disney, across the country, or internationally. I was part of Buffalo State's Germany for Educators program back when I was in my undergrad. I was even lucky enough to be in Germany when they won the World Cup!
I am an avid writer, working on editing the manuscript of my first novel; I actually met my wife through an online writing website when we were teenagers. My close friends and wife would probably describe me as driven and determined.
Hello my name is Maggie (Margaret) Maloney. A person's name means so much. Here are a few fun facts about my name. I have always been called Maggie. Yet when I was born, my christened name was Margaret Louise Maloney. I was raised Roman Catholic and when baptized, one needs the name of a saint. My parents chose Margaret after my mother’s favorite aunt, who was called Maggie. Louise was the name of my mother’s best friend. Both have special meaning to me since they were special to her. I still use my maiden surname, Maloney. It is Irish, the Gaelic form of which was O Maoldhomhnaigh, a clan originating in County Clare. There are other spellings as well. I also have a married name, Scaduto. My husband’s family originated in Sicily. If you look it up, you will find an interesting translation in English.
Prior to joining Erie 1 BOCES in 2007, I worked at HSBC in a variety of management roles; the last was on a data warehouse project for HR, Training, Payroll and Benefits. I had been a high school Math teacher early in my career and was looking for a position to utilize a blend of my experiences. I started here as the Coordinator of Data Warehouse Services.
Fast Forward to now, I work in the Technology Division as the Manager of WNYRIC's Data Warehousing and Testing Support Services. In this role it is important to build positive relationships with our service contacts in our component districts as well as districts, BOCES, charter schools, and non-public schools in the WNYRIC region, other Regional Information Centers , NYSED employees, and internal colleagues. It's hard to define one best thing about my job. Overall, I enjoy the variety in my work: I get to use different skill sets and work with people performing different roles. Some are technical; others provide support and instruction to district administrators. I am proud to say that I have 14 years of service with BOCES.
My parents were both from small towns in central Pennsylvania but moved north. I was born and raised in Elmira, NY, and lived there until I was 20. I also lived in Owego, NY while teaching but have lived the longest in the Buffalo area.
I like to be physically active although I don't play team sports. I read constantly and am in two book clubs. I sing in a church choir and if I am at a party or wedding where there is dancing, I will be on the dance floor. I have three brothers and one sister. Of the five of us, I was the only one with red hair. I'm also the middle child. (LOL). I didn't know my grandparents but my Dad was one of 10 children so I had lots of aunts and uncles and am one of 35 first cousins.
My close friends and family would probably describe me as a people person who enjoys fun!. My husband often comments that I am a connector. I like bringing people together...for reunions, for block parties, for events with friends. In fact, for the last 40 years, we’ve held a family reunion, originally started by my aunts. The hosts and locations vary each year but I'm now the person who gets the word out and encourages participation. It's a lot of fun and wonderful to see the generations of cousins. Well that's a “little” about me. I think I probably shared too much…LOL!