RVC resident honored as top educator

Rockville Centre resident Mary Moran, a teacher at Jericho High School, has been named one of the Harvard Club of Long Island’s “Distinguished Teachers of 2011.”

One of 14 teachers from across the island to receive this award, Moran will be honored at the Harvard Club’s annual University Relations Lunch on March 27.

“These Distinguished Teacher Awards honor extraordinary people,” said Dr. Judith Esterquest, a board member of the Long Island club. “Talented teachers like Mrs. Moran expend uncounted hours and vast stores of energy to transform the lives of our Long Island teens,” Dr. Esterquest added. “Day after day and year after year, they help shape our country’s future, inspiring students to dream big dreams, to work to accomplish those dreams, and to think rigorously about what they want their future to be. Their labor is a precious public good.”

Moran, who has been at Jericho High School for eight years, teaches all levels of debate, Introduction to Philosophy, Economics and American Sign Language (as a World Language). Prior to coming to Jericho, she taught at the Lexington School for the Deaf for seven years. Her B.A. is in Economics from the University of Vermont and she holds an M.A. in Deaf Education from Lewis and Clark College.

Among her awards and honors, she treasures the Mock Trial Coach of the year for Queens (1999), and the paper she presented at the American Society for 18th Century Studies (in 1996). When she is not working with students, reviewing their debate preparation and writings, she offers advice and writes recommendations (multiple) for about 20 students per year.

Over the past decade, she and her husband, William, have focused on their children, Sean, 10 and Ian, 6. They also are active in their community — Moran works with her older son to help gather food for people in need on Long Island.