Joan Marie Balsari was a unique woman. She held unshakeable opinions about everything and she didn’t hesitate to tell you what they were. But, she also loved to hear what everyone else thought, too. She was a great conversationalist.
A Washington Primary School teacher, Mrs. Balsari passed away in October 2011 after a 17 month long battle with breast cancer. After surgery and follow-up treatment, the veteran educator appeared destined for a full recovery. She returned to her classroom and the school life she so cherished.
When Mrs. Balsari’s condition deteriorated rapidly over a period of less than two weeks, her colleagues were left stunned. After she passed away, the Associated Teachers of Huntington, the professional organization of the district’s teachers, announced it would establish a $1,000 scholarship in Mrs. Balsari’s memory and present it annually for the next decade.
ATH President James Graber returned to the microphone in the Huntington High School auditorium for the seventh time to announce that this year’s Joan M. Balsari scholarship recipient is Joel Alfaro, one of the top members of the Class of 2018 The teenager is headed to Colgate University where he plans to study to become a social studies teacher.
An outstanding young man, Mr. Alfaro said the key to his success has been to try his best, never give up and participate in extracurricular activities of interest. He drew inspiration from high school social studies teacher Jordan Gould and got involved in the work of Huntington’s student government, including its community service initiatives such as the Stuff the Bus food drive.
Named a Distinguished Senior after compiling an A average during every semester of high school, Mr. Alfaro was inducted into four different academic honor societies.
Born to a Huntington family on July 16, 1950, Joan Marie Balsari attended elementary and secondary school here and graduated from Huntington High School with her future husband, Dennis in 1968. The couple’s only child, Denielle graduated from Huntington in 2003. She is currently a teacher in Commack.
Prior to coming to Washington School, Mrs. Balsari worked as a teacher aide and then as a short and long-term substitute teacher in the district from February 1989 through June 1996. She earned an Associate of Arts degree at SUNY Farmingdale, a bachelor’s degree at SUNY College at Old Westbury and a master’s degree in reading at Dowling College. She obtained teaching certification in ESL through Adelphi University and secured certification as an administrator through Stony Brook University, where she received an advanced graduate certificate.
Mrs. Balsari was a no-nonsense educator who was adored by her students. During quiet reading or writing time in her room, the gifted teacher was known to play classical music to put her students at ease. At the end of the school day she should would often go home for a few hours and then return to her classroom to work on projects or plan lessons late into the evening.
Known for her laughter and overall sense of humor, Mrs. Balsari had a way of cutting through all the fluff and getting to the point. She’d sometimes let her students teach the class, putting them up at the blackboard and encouraging them to explain concepts to one another. She continues to be missed by the colleagues she left behind.
