Second grade students in Jill DeRosa’s class at Verne W. Critz Elementary School recently engaged in a hands-on vegetable growing experience. As part of an educational grant that their teacher had procured, the students selected, planted and tended to lettuce and herb seeds in a tower garden before harvesting and enjoying salads from their crop. The project was made possible with the assistance of the school’s music teacher and custodians. “The children learned about the growing process through a real-world example and got to reap the benefits of their hard work,” said DeRosa.

Date Added: 6/6/2024

Jill DeRosa, a second grade teacher at Verne W. Critz Elementary School in the South Country Central School District, recently earned her National Board Certification in the area of literacy.

The NBC goes beyond a state teaching license. It is a highly rigorous certification process and includes national standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. For DeRosa, the process included an exploration of literacy content knowledge, differentiation in instruction, an examination of teaching practice and learning environments, and being an effective and reflective practitioner.

In addition to earning her NBC, DeRosa is working toward a docotorate in educational leadership for diverse learning communities at Molloy University. She aims to earn that degree in the spring of 2025.

DeRosa has been a teacher in the South Country School District for the past 17 years. She currently teaches second grade at Verne W. Critz Elementary and has taught third grade in the same school, as well as first grade at Brookhaven Elementary.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in in child study from St. Joseph’s College and a Master of Arts from Stony Brook University. She is also an author and co-authored the book “WIRE for Agency” with Jenn Hayhurst. In addition, she has presented at national conferences including the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, LitCon and the Literacy for All Conference, as well as local conferences such as the Long Island Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development conference, the Association of Suffolk Supervisors for Educational Technologies annual conference and the Long Island Language Arts Council conference.

The district extends its congratulations to Jill DeRosa on this impressive accomplishment.

Date Added: 6/4/2024