Gardella Honored for Life-Long Contributions to Education

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Gardella

ALBANY, NY (04/08/2010)(readMedia)-- Jennifer Gardella, retired teacher and administrator from the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District, has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Irving Schwartz Distinguished Retiree Award by the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS).

Irving Schwartz was a founding member of SAANYS. His exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to his profession was demonstrated through his countless years of participation in SAANYS and its national affiliate, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). 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.

Gardella has been a dedicated leader with an exceptional commitment to education that has spanned nearly 30 years – most of that time was in the Fonda-Fultonville School District where she was nominated by her students as teacher of the year. She began her career in education as a social studies teacher and moved into administration as curriculum coordinator and department chair.

In retirement, Gardella has continued her commitment to students, the community, and the profession. She remains active in SAANYS, is on the board of trustees for the Fulton Montgomery Community College, and is secretary of the Upper Montgomery County Retired Teachers' Association. She served as director of member services for New York State Retired Teachers Association (NYSRTA) and continues to be active inn the association. In this role, Gardella was the catalyst in the development of a partnership between NYSRTA and SAANYS, bringing enhanced services to the state's retired educators. Most recently, Gardella has taken a position as a VISTA volunteer for Literacy New York.

Gardella will be honored for her accomplishments at an awards banquet, May 7, 2010 at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York.

SAANYS represents more than 7,000 school principals, supervisors, and directors. 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).

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