Greenacres Celebrates Retiring Faculty Members

Faculty, parents, students, PTA Presidents and alumni gathered in the courtyard of the Greenacres School for a bittersweet goodbye to seven members of the staff who will retire at the end of the school year. Retiring this year are Principal Gerry Young, classroom teachers John (Jack) Dean and Oksana Slywka, School Psychologist Nancy Karagis, Music Teacher and STA President Trudy Moses, Speech and Language Teacher Eva Sax-Bolder and Physical Therapist Harriet Siegel.

With a combined 225 years of service to the school, these Greenacres veterans are a part of the heart and soul of the school. A hearty table of refreshments was available and everyone took turns reminiscing until the speeches began.

PTA Presidents, present and former, arranged the tributes and gifts from Tiffany's were provided by the PTA Executive Committee. A cake with a memento for each teacher was presented and the retirees were toasted individually.

Departing Principal Gerry Young got his own roast from the PTA Presidents with contributions to his Greenacres time capsule, each to remind him of his tenure at the school. Among the many gifts presented were paint chips and carpet swatches as Young loved to paint and redo, a framed photo of him from the Scarsdale Inquirer, pennies-- because one year the children collected a million, a deed to Huntington Avenue which parents have long wanted to close, a parking citation for those who leave their cars parked next to the school during pick-up, a wrapped brick to remind him of the work he did to rehabilitate the Greenacres courtyard, a water bottle for Brain Gym, a Chia pet for his green initiatives, a book about the south of France where he attended school, a basketball hoop in honor of the courts that were built, a fan because the school asked for but never got air conditioning, Greenacres memorabilia and a Life is Good mug – because, well, it is!