By Andrew Hackmack
He's retiring at the end of this month after 43 years teaching there. Add on his five years as a student and Riccobono has been a member of the Shaw Avenue family for 48 years.
Riccobono moved to Valley Stream when he was about 3 months old and hasn't left. He attended Clear Stream Avenue School for kindergarten and first grade, then moved over to Shaw Avenue School when it opened in 1950. He completed sixth grade in 1955.
It may be hard to imagine Shaw Avenue School without Riccobono but there were 10 years that was the case. After all, he had to go to junior high, high school and college. But after completing his time at Memorial, Central and St. John's, respectively, he came right back to Shaw Avenue to teach.
"In the beginning, I had trouble calling teachers by their first names," he said. "They were my former teachers."
After a year in sixth grade, Riccobono then taught fourth grade for 21 years. He even remembers the room number -- 110 -- the same place he was a fourth grade student. Riccobono taught fifth grade for the remaining 21 years of his career.
And with 43 years in the classroom, Riccobono has taught two generations of students. He said he has taught eight sets of parents and their children.
Riccobono's speciality has always been math. For several years, fifth grade students switched classes for certain subjects with Riccobono getting them all for math. He said he spends at least 45 minutes a day on math instruction with his class and he also tutors high school students.
When someone asks him why they need to know math, Riccobono gives them a practical answer. "I tell them, 'You're a consumer. You need math when you go shopping.'"
In addition to math, Riccobono said he really enjoyed teaching social studies at the fourth grade level and science in fifth grade.
Shaw Avenue has changed over the years. From the time he graduated the school in 1955, three more additions have been put on. When he started teaching, there were more than 1,000 students in the school. Enrollment dipped down to the high-500s, and in recent years has leveled off at about 700 kids.
The state standards have frequently changed requiring constant revision of the curriculum, he said. Technology has transformed the way teachers approach instruction, Riccobono explained. He said the Internet is a very valuable research tool, especially for social studies. But when it comes to math, he makes kids do it the old-fashioned way. "I still require pencil and paper," he said. "Then they can use a calculator."
Growing up, he remembers going off to play in the woods, which no longer exist. He also remembers Merrick Road being dirt until the late 1940s. Green Acres Mall was an airfield back them and there were once Just to compare, he said, a gallon of gas was 19.9 cents.
When the pool opened at Hendrickson Park, Riccobono served as a lifeguard and also was a member of the village's diving team. He and his wife -- who he met at Shaw Avenue School -- have seven children now between the ages of 23 and 36. They all attended Clear Stream Avenue School.
His wife and kids threw him a surprise retirement party on June 6. More than 200 people, including about 100 students, attended the event. "People I hadn't seen in over 30 years came back," Riccobono said, adding that he remembered just about everyone.
He has always considered the faculty, staff and students of Shaw Avenue School his second family. Riccobono noted that he has worked with so many dedicated teachers over the past four decades. "I hate to mention them because I know I'm going to forget a few," he said. "I'm going to miss my colleagues. I really am."
Riccobono said even when there were issues or if morale was down, everyone remembered to be a professional. "We do it for the kids," he said. "All problems are put aside when it comes to the children."
Some activities that Riccobono will miss include field day, softball games during recess and the night basketball games which pit students against the teachers.
He has no plans right now for retirements but doesn't plan to stop working, although it won't be in the educational field. Riccobono has no regrets about making his home and living in Valley Stream. "It was a great place to grow up," he said, "and a good place for my kids to grow up."
Photos by Anne Marie Alloca/Herald
