Congratulations to Cohoes High School Teacher Alicia Tommasino who has been accepted into the State University of New York (SUNY) Master Teacher Program.
She is one of 15 teachers in the Capital Region who was chosen after a months-long application process that began in January.
Mrs. Tommasino, a Union College graduate, has been teaching chemistry at the high school for 15 years, and feels “accomplished and excited” about this four-year fellowship, which was announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul last month.
“I’ve always been a firm believer that when you’re a teacher, it’s important to find opportunities to grow and improve your craft,” she said.
The New York State Master Teacher Program was established in 2013 and recognizes outstanding K-12 public school Science, Engineering, Engineering, Math (STEM) teachers and counselors and sustains a statewide professional network of educators dedicated to professional growth and development.
Master Teachers support students in the areas of science, technology, computer science, robotics, coding, engineering, math, and integrated STEM.
Once accepted into the program, the cohort of teachers is expected to complete ongoing professional development over the course of four years in the areas of: content, pedagogy and community.
“Mrs. Tommasino’s acceptance into the New York State Master teacher Program is incredibly impressive,” said CHS Principal Laura Tarlo. “It has a reputation as being a transformative program and will be of value not only to Mrs. Tommasino, but to her colleagues as well She is a wonderful educator and her classroom is always filled with inquiry and academic growth. I am so happy for her and for our school community.”
Part of the application process included giving a presentation on content knowledge to a panel of interviewers at UAlbany. She chose to present on the water contamination that was discovered in Hoosick Falls in 2016; a topic close to home given that her husband (and CHS PE teacher Mr. Tommasino) is from that town.
“I did a deep dive into the PFOAs that were discovered in the water supply and discussed the chemistry that takes place in the body and how to mitigate the chemicals.”
While it was slightly nerve-wracking, the experience was challenging. “After teaching the same thing for 15 years, this challenged me to learn something different and get more into the chemistry side of things.”
The nice thing about being a part of the Master Teachers Program is that once your four years are up, you are considered an emeritus, and still able to have access to all of the professional development the program offers.
“This program is going to give me a little more knowledge that I can bring into my classroom and I can confidently give that to my students and integrate it into my lessons.”
She joins two other teachers in our district who have been accepted into the Master Teacher program in recent years: CMS Dean of Students Jill Havens (2014) and CHS Environmental Living Teacher Laura Murawski (2019), who was instrumental in encouraging her to apply.
Mrs. Tommasino loves teaching in Cohoes and sees herself here for many years to come. “I love it here, and being a Master Teacher will help me grow in many areas and I will be able to bring that knowledge back to my department and my students.”