Many new faculty members have joined the Woodhull Intermediate School team for the 2021/22 school year. Principal Scott Oshrin has been working with the new faculty members to help them get off to a fast start, filling them in on all things Huntington UFSD and giving them extra support and encouragement during the opening weeks of the school year.
“We are lucky to have some amazing new teachers join the Woodhull team,” Mr. Oshrin said. “They have hit the ground running this school year. I am proud to welcome them to the Huntington family.”
The group includes:
Carli Clementi
Carli Clementi is a new Response to Intervention math teacher. “I will be working at Woodhull as well as at Washington Primary School and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School with students from grades two through six on a variety of math skills,” she said. “In this position, I will be pulling small groups to focus on number sense and math fluency and providing students with tools to guide them in small group math instruction.”
Prior to coming to Huntington UFSD, Ms. Clementi worked for three years in a sixth grade classroom in an eastern Suffolk district. “From this experience, I have learned so much and I want to continue to grow as an educator in Huntington,” she said. “I am so excited to be a part of the Huntington community this year. What I love about Huntington is how welcoming and helpful everyone is. This community has a great way of empowering all students to learn in unique ways.”
Among Ms. Clementi’s goals this year is to get to know her students as best she can and “to reach my students’ needs and to continue to see successes in their math abilities,” she said. “My goal is to create a safe, comfortable learning space where the students feel inspired to learn and try their best. Having a growth mindset, building a love for learning and trying new things is what I want to encourage each day for my students.”
Rosemarie Rivera
Rosemarie Rivera is Woodhull’s new sixth grade English language arts teacher. “Huntington Union Free School District is full of such passion, support and kindness,” she said. “Because of this, I am so excited to be a part of such an amazing teaching and learning community.”
Prior to coming to Woodhull, Ms. Rivera worked as a permanent substitute and then as a long-term sub fifth grade teacher in Middle Country. She also tutored students with learning disabilities and as a home health aide for children with multiple disabilities. “Each of these opportunities holds a special place in my heart, as they deepened my passion for teaching and learning,” she said.
Ms. Rivera hopes to “encourage my students to do their best, show respect and reflect each day,” she said. “We cannot always have a perfect day, but we can try our best, learn from our mistakes and grow within the classroom and beyond. I know that Woodhull will be the perfect place for me to instill this mindset!”
Mary Guzman-Lewis
Mary Guzman-Lewis Woodhull’s new Spanish bilingual school social worker. She is also working at J. Taylor Finley Middle School and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School.
Prior to coming to Huntington UFSD, Ms. Guzman-Lewis worked as an adult and pediatric emergency room social worker in Queens, engaging in discharge planning, crisis intervention and trauma informed care. She also has experience as a family therapist with New York Foundling, one of New York City’s oldest and largest child welfare agencies.
Ms. Guzman-Lewis loves the diversity within Huntington UFSD and the positive school culture the community has shown her thus far. For this year, her goal is to continue establishing rapport with students, parents, teachers and administrators, learning about and exploring the Huntington community as a whole, and to ensure students are successfully achieving their academic goals.
“I am humbled and excited to be part of this amazing Huntington team,” she said.
Mari DiGiovanni
Mari DiGiovanni has been teaching since 2016. “I am from Huntington and after going to school in Pennsylvania and living in California, my family and I came back to New York,” she said. “I started as a teaching fellow in New York City and worked as a special education teacher in Queens. I worked in Westchester as a special class teacher and as an integrated collaborative teacher.”
Prior to coming to Woodhull, Ms. DiGiovanni has worked as a substitute teacher and filled leave replacement positions in several Long Island districts. She is currently teaching a sixth grade special class at Woodhull “and it has been my best year yet,” she said. “My goals for this year are to help my students learn about their individual learning styles and begin to develop self-advocacy skills. I am also hoping to share my love for nature and the environment with my students in helping beautify Woodhull’s courtyards. One thing I love most about working in Huntington is the overwhelming support and encouragement from all staff members.”
Olivia Roberts
Olivia Roberts obtained an undergraduate degree at SUNY Geneseo in philosophy and Spanish. She is pursuing a master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages at SUNY Brockport.
Prior to joining the Woodhull faculty, Ms. Roberts worked as a substitute Spanish teacher at J. Taylor Finley Middle School and as a bilingual teacher aide at Jefferson Primary School, where she also focused on Spanish literacy skills in a kindergarten dual language classroom.
Ms. Roberts holds a pair of state teaching certifications, including Foreign Language Elementary School Grades 1-6 and Spanish Grades 7-12. She is currently teaching Spanish to Woodhull sixth graders and also serving as a sixth grade virtual teacher.
“One thing that I love most about working in Huntington is the community,” Ms. Roberts said. “I have met so many wonderful families with a true sense of community and school spirit. The students are creative and Huntington offers a supportive and enthusiastic environment. My goal is to demonstrate to my students the benefits of learning a second language and how it can impact their life in a positive way.”
Andrew Cumming
Andrew Cumming is Woodhull’s new library media specialist. He’s been in the career field since 2004 and most recently working in the Northport-East Northport UFSD. Prior to becoming an educator, he worked in the publishing industry for several years.
“I’m excited about working in the Huntington Union Free School District because of its commitment to the library program,” Mr. Cumming said. “The administration has been positive and helpful in making the library program a priority and getting the librarians the materials they need to be successful in bringing literacy and technology into the lives of the students. My goal in my first year here is to make the library an exciting place for students and teachers to use and visit by updating the collection and bringing some technological fun into the space.”
Catherine Juliano
Catherine Juliano is a licensed master social worker who has worked with children and adolescents since 2016. From 2017 to 2020, she was the project coordinator for the Northport-East Northport UFSD Community Drug & Alcohol Task Force, where she developed and directed the parent education program, youth program and community education efforts.
In addition to her work in Huntington UFSD, Ms. Juliano provides clinical therapy to adolescents at Gooding Wellness Group in Cold Spring Harbor. She is also a 500 hour registered yoga teacher and enjoys incorporating mindfulness into all aspects of her social work practice.
In addition to Woodhull, Ms. Juliano is working at Huntington High School and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School. “I love the supportive community spirit of Huntington Union Free School District and its dedication to celebrating the diversity and talents of its students and staff,” she said. “I hope to be a helpful addition to the already amazing support system the district provides to its students.”
Amy Smoller
Amy Smoller is teaching reading at Woodhull as well as at Washington Primary School and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School. “I have experience teaching all grades as well as a reading specialist in various districts,” she said. “I love working in Huntington! The students are energetic and have an appetite for knowledge. I want my students to know they can achieve whatever goals they set for themselves, feel comfortable taking risks in my classroom and to enjoy reading. I’m looking forward to an exciting year.”
Jacqueline Rivas
Jacqueline Rivas obtained an undergraduate degree at SUNY Old Westbury in elementary and special education (grades 1-6 ) She previously worked as a second grade leave replacement special education teacher in an integrated co-teaching setting. She was then assigned to Jefferson Primary School as a leave replacement kindergarten dual language teacher. At Woodhull, she is teaching fourth grade in an integrated co-teaching classroom.
“I come from a background in which I was fortunate enough to learn to be fluent in both
English and Spanish,” Ms. Rivas said. “My family migrated from El Salvador to Brentwood,
where I grew up and received my education. Growing up there allowed me to embrace my culture and my surroundings. It’s is one of the reasons why I love teaching in Huntington, which is a community filled with many different backgrounds and diversities. I am able to relate to many of the students and families because of my own experiences growing up in a diverse
community.”
Ms. Rivas intends plans to earn a master’s degree in bilingual education/teaching English to speakers of other languages. “A goal I have for this school year is to gain more experience in my teaching practices and build positive relationships with my colleagues, students and the community,” she said. “This will allow me to better myself as a new educator.”
Mallory McClafferty
Mallory McClafferty is one of Woodhull’s new teachers, working in a fifth grade self-contained special education classroom. “This will be my first year working with the Woodhull family, but my fifth year teaching,” she said. “I’ve taught all grade levels, but recently worked with first graders for three years. This past summer, I was lucky enough to work as a special education reading specialist. I love literacy, so teaching reading is my favorite part of the school day.”
Ms. McClafferty said her “favorite experience” as a new Huntington teacher is “seeing the creativity these wonderful students have to offer. Beyond the classroom, the support and leadership offered by the staff here at Woodhull shows that this district’s focus is striving for excellence for our students. “
The new Woodhull teacher’s goal for the year is “to strengthen a growth mindset for students and to help them realize their strengths,” Ms. McClafferty said. “By creating a positive classroom culture, we can learn to use the ‘power of yet’ to grow our skills over the school year. Every smart goal takes time, persistence and patience, so let’s get learning and fly high Eagles.”