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CENTENNIAL ARTICLE BY LETTY SUSTRIN
POSTED 12/20/21
      In Celebration of it's 100th year anniversary, NYSTRS has established NYSTRS' Centennial Stories: a collection of reflections and photos from its members.  Letty Sustrin submitted a beautiul araticle about her and her sister Sheila's life as teachers, and it was selected to be published in the December 2021 issue of NYSTRS Centennial Stories. It appers on their website and can also be viewed by clicking on the following image.

SAD SHARING
POSTED 1/17/22

     It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear colleague, Peter Vercillo, an elementary school teacher who retired from Twin Pines in 2003. He passed away on Friday, January 14, 2022. Peter was an active member of ROBS. He served on the Executive Board in charge of Project Hope for many years. He will be sadly missed. The following was an announcement from his sister, Lucille Curcio:

   It is with a heavy heart that we need to let our friends and family know that my dear brother Peter Vercillo passed away on Friday January 14th.  He was a beloved Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, Cousin, Friend and Teacher to so many. Due to Covid the family has decided to have a small private ceremony and in a couple of months we will be having a memorial mass and a large celebration of his life to fittingly remember the life of the beautiful man and person that my brother Peter was. Once we have finalized the date, time and place we will share this information on Facebook and other means. We will soon turn his Facebook page into a memorial where loved ones can share stories and photos of the man you knew and loved. We ask that you share this post with others who may not know.  Please keep Peter and his family in your prayers. 

     Please see following article: "Peter Vercillo Memorial Scholarship Fund".

PETER VERCILLO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
POSTED 1/17/22

     
     ROBS will be honoring the memory of our dear friend and colleague by donating towards a scholarship fund in his memory. Peter's sisters have asked us to collect from anyone who wishes to donate to a Scholarship fund for a Brentwood graduating senior who is going to pursue a degree in Education or Healthcare. ROBS will oversee the donations to go towards a Memorial Scholarship in Peter's memory. Checks should be sent to:
Carmen Roldan
49 Linda Lane
North Babylon, NY 11703
     Please remember to put on the memo line "Scholarship in Memory of Peter Vercillo." This Scholarship will be a lovely way to honor the memory of our friend and colleague Peter. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

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Why did we do it?
     What was our purpose in taking on such an open ended “History Project”; for which we evolved a script of questions and got answers from over 150 subjects for two decades?
     We couldn’t answer the question in 1994 when people would ask “What are you going to do with the interviews?” All we could say was that for educational purposes we had to document our record now or lose the chance to preserve so many poignant accounts, funny stories and touching tales told by exemplary educators. We knew these dedicated public servants might shortly, for reasons yet unknown, be leaving Brentwood for good.
     So, we decided to let time sort out the details. We began scheduling appointments. We asked questions and listened saving for generations the essence of what it meant to have been an educator or employed, in this large public school system during the second half of the 20th century. Brentwood remains an exemplar to all others; a diverse microcosm of America reflecting 124 districts on Long Island while simultaneously resembling thousands across the U.S. We’ve accomplished something here to be proud of. Whether we were interviewed or not, ours is a claim of service that few professionals in the State of New York or elsewhere have positioned themselves to share in the way we have.
     INITIALLY the practice of sitting with a subject for an hour and giving them a hundred percent focused attention seemed somewhat daunting to a number of friends and colleagues. So much so in fact that many declined our repeated invitations to speak with us as they left careers or retired from full employment. Despite all assurances that we were not about investigative journalism or invading privacy, they deferred. Now, twenty years after we began, some are saying they may be ready. “Better late than never” we say. However, to all among you who were willing to share not only your classroom experiences and personal stories, but precious memories from your lives along with your fondest hopes for the future, we say “Thanks”. Thanks for allowing us to continue the process by paying it forward as we share these interviews with the Brentwood community and countless professionals and researchers near and far. Through an acceptance of ROBS offer of collaboration with Archivist Dr. Geri Solomon and The Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University our History Project lives on in academia as well as in the collection of the Brentwood Public Library, thanks to Director, Thomas A. Tarantowicz.
   You can enjoy unlimited visits to www.robsny.org where you can watch and listen to segments from featured Interviews in the ROBS History Project Section on our Announcements Page each month. Return here to listen and learn again and again.

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THIS MONTH'S FEATURED    HISTORY PROJECT
INTERVIEW:
Karen Storjohann
Middle School Teacher


Click on the image above to read Karen's Biography