Education Leader Honored for Life-Long Contributions

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Dennis Priore

ALBANY, NY (03/22/2019) (readMedia)-- Dennis Priore, retired principal from the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Irving Schwartz Distinguished Retiree Award by the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS). Irving Schwartz was a founding member of SAANYS. This award is given annually to a retired SAANYS member who, in retirement, has made significant contributions to the welfare of the association, education, and the greater community.

A retired principal having served 36 years in public education, Priore considers retirement a golden opportunity to embrace his passion for volunteering. As he notes, "Volunteering has been tremendously rewarding, not only because of the satisfaction of giving back and making a difference, but also because of the numerous friends I've been fortunate to make." In addition to serving on many educational organizations, Priore is proud to be among the group of volunteers that worked tirelessly to bring back a local chapter of the Honor Flight to the area. Honor Flight flies World War II, Korean War, and any veteran with a serious illness to Washington, D.C. where they have the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery and the national monuments. He commented, "To see the enthusiasm of the men and women who served in World War II is awe inspiring. Many of the volunteers, like I do, serve in gratitude of our late fathers." Another group that he actively volunteers with is The Teacher's Desk, an organization that distributes $1,000 of new school supplies to every teacher whose school has a 70 percent or greater poverty level. These supplies have been delivered to almost 5,000 teachers in 180 schools within the seven Western New York counties.

Commented colleague Douglas Regan, "Dennis' community and volunteer work transcends most. He's a member of the Western Zone of the New York State Retired Teachers' Association, former president of the Kenmore Retired Educators' Association, the Western New York Middle School Principals' Association, and the Western New York Technology Education Association. He is a volunteer lector at St. Mary's Church in Swornsville, on the Erie County Association of School Boards, on the Clarence Central School Board of Education, the Clarence Youth Board, Clarence High School PTO, and also a board member on the Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight as their public relations chairperson."

Priore received his bachelor of science and master of science in industrial arts education and his certificate of advanced study in supervision and administration from SUNY College at Buffalo.

Priore will be honored for his contributions at an awards ceremony on May 3 at the Century House in Latham, New York.

SAANYS represents nearly 7,200 school administrators, supervisors, and coordinators. As a professional association, SAANYS is committed to providing direction, service, and support to the membership in their efforts to improve the quality of education and leadership in New York State schools. SAANYS is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).