Chapter Leader Shoutout
Kudos to Nicole Keaster, IS 5, Queens
Bringing the staff “together” has been the main objective of Nicole Keaster since becoming chapter leader at IS 5 in Queens three years ago. “If you have a strong community of respect, you can do all of the other things,” she said.
Kudos to Michelle Lowe-Calixte, IS 392, Brooklyn
Michelle Lowe-Calixte has been an exemplary chapter leader the last three years — all while also serving as the District 23 paraprofessional coordinator.
Kudos to Annawa Naing, PS/IS 78, Queens
The school-based special education committee — created as part of the 2023 DOE-UFT contract — gave Naing the tool she needed to fight to ensure special education students in her school receive the services they are entitled to.
Kudos to Leah Lin, PS 85, Queens
Leah Lin, chapter leader at PS 85 in Queens, keeps her fellow educators informed and engaged about ֱand contract matters with the short, fun and easy-to-follow Morning Rush videos she posts regularly on her Instagram account.
Kudos to Anna Willis, PS 896, Brooklyn
PS 896 in Sunset Park had no chapter leader, delegate or paraprofessional representative, and an administration that placed excessive demands on the staff. The turnaround was stark after Anna Willis, a second-year, untenured teacher, took on the chapter leader role last fall.
Kudos to Amanda Dutton, PS 134, Manhattan
Amanda Dutton, the chapter leader at PS 134 in Manhattan, has stood up again and again for students with disabilities and the UFT members who work with those students at her school.