Questar III Pre-K teacher Tracy MacGiffert was honored by the Cairo-Durham CSD Board of Education in June.
At its June meeting, the Cairo-Durham Central School District Board of Education honored Questar III Pre-K teacher Tracy MacGiffert with their Distinguished Service Award. MacGiffert was nominated for the award by the family of one of her students. The award recognizes individuals, groups, and students who have worked to support public education in the Cairo-Durham Central School Community.
“I was absolutely honored to be recognized for the genuine love for what I do as a teacher in the district. I am honored to be able to teach and work with families in my very own home community. I love giving back to a district and community that gave me the life I have today,” MacGiffert said.
Cairo-Durham Superintendent Anthony Taibi said MacGiffert was the perfect choice for the award.
“Tracy MacGiffert was selected as an award recipient because of her dedication to the Cairo-Durham School District but most importantly her students. We couldn’t think of a more serving individual than Tracy MacGiffert to receive the Distinguished Service Award in its inaugural year,” said Taibi.
MacGiffert has three children who attend school in the district, and all three have gone through her Pre-K program. She says it is a joy teaching her program because the families of her students value what she does in the classroom. She sees the support of her family and colleagues as essential to the success of her program.
“I would first like to thank my husband and children who very patiently allow me to put 100% into my job while trying very hard to juggle the responsibilities of being a mother of three, a wife and a homemaker. I would also like to thank my teacher assistant who has grown right along with me in this program and manages to keep up with and appreciate the very high expectations I have for myself and our program. It is a true partnership working with Jen [Greco].”
Some of the parents of MacGiffert’s students also praised her work in the classroom saying she is loved and one of the most caring teachers out there supporting students emotionally, socially and mentally. They say she is heavily involved in supporting the PTA and follows her students accomplishments throughout their educational careers.
That’s not all going on in Cairo-Durham. In May, MacGiffert’s class participated in a Trike-A-Thon to raise money for St. Jude Children Research Hospital. The class set a goal of $1500, but in the end raised over $2300!
MacGiffert first got involved with the annual event when her own three children were invited to take part in one at the College of Saint Rose 10 years ago. When she was hired as the Universal Pre-K teacher at Cairo-Durham eight years ago, she had her class do a trike-a-thon. The benefits of participating in the event have been two-fold. Her students learn valuable and life-saving safety lessons like always wearing a helmet, not riding in the street, being careful near driveways and watching where you’re going, but the students also learn that they are helping kids – some their own age – who are very sick get better by raising money for doctors and scientists.
“This has been an especially sensitive and valuable topic as we have had a Kindergarten teacher and two parents in my program diagnosed with breast cancer while we have been carrying out this program. Cancer has no boundaries and has certainly hit close to home here at Cairo-Durham. This event has given a few children the opportunity to feel powerful as they made a difference for a cause that has directly affected them,” MacGiffert said.
MacGiffert also thanked her teaching assistant Jennifer Greco for her support through every step of putting the event together, as well as her husband, children and parents who have helped with set up, clean up and running the event. She says there is a lot that goes into putting this event on, but that it is well worth it in the end.
“From picking up the balloons, to setting up the cones to transporting bikes to designing lines on the track to helping reluctant bike riders grow in confidence…it has taken a small army to carry out this event. The parents are always an amazing support as well as they are asked to transport their children with their bikes to school for this event. Many stay and participate in the event each year. They donate snack, drinks and ice pops to make it an extra special day.”
Congratulations to Tracy on both accomplishments!
