Teacher of the Year

 

Aurora Kolb has spent nearly two decades transforming life safety education into hands-on training that prepares students for real-world emergencies.

As a health and family and consumer sciences teacher at Germantown Central School, she teaches students through hands-on, applied learning.

She teaches Health 5/6, Health 7, Health 12, and FACS, covering CPR, AED use, first aid, choking response, fire safety, and emergency preparedness. Her work is informed by her background as an EMT, bringing authenticity and urgency to every lesson.

A standout activity is the “AED Relay,” a timed simulation in which student teams perform CPR, call 911, retrieve an AED trainer, and deliver a shock within two minutes. She has used similar experiential approaches for nearly 20 years.

Fire safety education begins in elementary grades with home fire escape plans developed alongside families. In middle school, students complete prevention-based projects on fire safety, poisoning, drowning, falls, and environmental hazards. Her “Protect Your Brain” project connects helmet and seatbelt use to brain anatomy and real-world injury prevention.

Kolb also serves as chair of the school safety team, coordinating CPR/AED and Stop the Bleed training and supporting districtwide emergency preparedness.

Through sustained innovation and leadership, she has made life safety education practical, engaging, and enduring.

Past Award Recipients

2024	Jim Martino	Principal, E. J. Arthur Elementary School
2023	Christopher Stein	Cairo-Durham Elementary School
2020	John Motchkavitz	Great Neck South High School
2018	Joel Fisher	Sherman Central School
2017	Elisa Futia	Edward J. Arthur Elementary School
2016	Michael Revenson	Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department
2015	Paul E. Ziring	Great Neck School District
2014	Michele Hood	Roscoe Central School
2013	Sandy Hickey	Mill Road Elementary School
2012	Paula Candella	Westmoreland Road Elementary School
2011	Daria M. Pascale	C.V. Starr Intermediate School
2010	Susan L.S. Brown	Germantown Central School District
2009	Gail Carrier	Holy Ghost Lutheran School
2008	Ann Chestnut	St. Mary’s School
2007	Fehmida Mohammedali	Al-Iman School, New York
2006	Tammy Hollenbeck
2005	Warren G. Schmidt
2004	Daria M. Pascale	C.V. Starr Intermediate School