DARIA PASCALE OF C.V. STARR INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL IN BREWSTER NAMED “TEACHER OF THE YEAR” BY FASNY

(BREWSTER, NY) The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) has named Daria Pascale from C.V. Starr Intermediate School in Brewster, NY, as the recipient of FASNY’s 2011 Teacher of the Year award. Daria was recognized during an awards ceremony at C.V. Starr Intermediate School in Brewster on Thursday, June 23, for her ongoing efforts to educate her students about fire safety. “Ms. Pascale takes the time to teach her students important lifesaving lessons, which could help them and their families,” said Laurie Hance, Vice Chair of FASNY’s Fire Prevention and Life Safety Committee. “We applaud Ms. Pascale for her efforts, and we hope others look to her as an inspiration.”

Daria has been a health educator for the Brewster school district for more than twenty-two years, and she is just as passionate today as she was her first day on the job. One of her primary fortes in her job involves teaching the students about fire safety and emergency planning. Daria leads lessons that engage the intermediate level students in procedures that enforce how to be proactive as opposed to reactive about fire safety issues. She uses compassion to instruct students on fire safety topics and excels at adjusting her lessons based on the age of the student and to increase interaction and excitement. Daria has a desire to teach fire safety that goes way beyond the requirements of New York State standards. She fully understands that many accidents involving children can be prevented with education.

Daria had been instructing children regarding fire safety for approximately four or five years when an incident with one of her young students reinforced her passion to assist children with fire safety. A student from her class was badly burned due to her presence in the wrong place at the wrong time. The young girl was engulfed in flames after a friend decided to throw a match at a gas can to see what would happen. Wind took the gasoline in the direction of the young girl, and she was so badly burned that she had to be in a burn suit for many months, and scaring was severe. Daria knows that ignorance is the enemy when it involves fire safety, and she never wants any of her students to have to endure something so traumatic. She gives accolades to that incredibly courageous young girl as the story boosted her own drive and desire to educate the youth regarding fire safety. She is truly dedicated to the health and safety of each and every one of her students. Daria realizes that many families do not practice regular fire safety plans. However, she endeavors to correct this issue. Through her instruction and her students’ work, families she is in contact with now seem to spend more time discussing proper plans and procedures of what to do during difficult times. Much of this may never have occurred if not for Daria’s passion to improve her students’ self-awareness and increase the safety of their current surroundings. It is obvious that all the students benefit from a wide array of topics discussed in Daria’s health classes. These issues addressed by Daria reach the lives of students outside the classroom into real life practicality.

Daria has ensured that FASNY fire prevention lessons have always been an important part of her health education curriculum. For the past 16 years, the students at Brewster Central Schools have been involved with the local firefighter’s Home Fire Escape Plan Contest under her direction. Every year, each fourth and fifth grade student draws their own fire escape plan for her class assignment. The annual contest is optional to the students; however, more than 200 entries for each grade level are judged each year due to her persistent efforts.

Daria helped in the development of a Risk Watch Curriculum used to incorporate various recreational safety issues. A volunteer group worked after school sessions for a six-week period to write, create and record a puppet show. DVDs were created and distributed to several pre-school programs in Daria’s surrounding communities. The sixth graders involved in this process truly enjoyed working as safety advocates. Daria has initiated many activities to help her students realize the dangers associated with fire. The Fire Safety Game that she developed, which assists children to comprehend the chemical reaction of the Fire Triangle, seems to be an activity that her students really like. This ingenious plan gets the children to identify the fact that all three elements of heat, fuel and oxygen must be present to create a fire. Then she emphasizes that fire prevention means that we must keep our fuel sources away from our heat sources due to the fact that we are always in the presence of oxygen. Daria has accumulated this lesson into a card game wherein the students respond with the word “Fire” or “No Fire” when appropriate pictures are displayed. The children love this game and it can even get a little loud with all of their enthusiasm. This is an amazing method of increasing the young generation’s knowledge of fire safety facts.

Daria also serves on the district’s Health Advisory Committee. She is responsible for planning activities for students from Kindergarten through the 12th grade. She has committed her time to attend a leadership conference, along with select students, entitled “Women Helping Girls with Choices” for the past several years.

Daria is an astute listener which reflects sincerity and instills confidence in all her students. She has the enthusiastic and outgoing traits, which make her an individual who is well-liked by all. Daria is also well respected for her high level of dedication. She has made a positive difference in the lives of students, parents and staff, making her the ideal selection for this honor as “Teacher of the Year”. We commend her for all her efforts and achievements in the fire safety education field. She truly epitomizes the proper role model for future generations of fire safety educators.

Daria resides in Brewster with her partner, Lori Sheffer and her son, Jeremy. She received a B.A. in 1981 from the University of Richmond, VA, was the recipient of a Masters in Education from the University of Virginia, and is certified in Health, Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education.

Daria was nominated for this honor with two distinguished supporting letters and testimonials from Frank Zamperlin, Principal of C.V. Starr School and Lance Pliego, Director of Health, PE and Athletics of Brewster High School.

About FASNY

Founded in 1872, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) represents the interests of the more than 130,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel in New York State. For more information, visit www.fasny.com.