Gloversville teacher Charles Giglio, who literally brought Latin back from the dead in his district, was selected the 2015 New York State Teacher of the Year.
At the age of 73, Giglio has more than 50 years experience in the classroom and showed no signs of slowing down as he thanked State Education Department officials for the honor. He brought two of the students who nominated him to share the spotlight in the Regents meeting room.
NYSUT Vice President Catalina Fortino said Giglio is well known and highly respected in his community, and beloved by parents and students — including hundreds who keep in touch with their former Latin teacher after graduation.
"Charles Giglio is dedicated to his students both inside and outside the classroom. He is an exceptional educator and an exceptional person," Fortino said. "This is a very proud moment to recognize that what we do every day is for the hope of tomorrow."
Giglio succeeds Ashli Skura Dreher, the 2014 state Teacher of the Year.
Finalists for 2015 New York State Teacher of the Year include: Charles Mangum, a high school arts teacher at the Long Island High School for the Arts at Nassau BOCES; Deborah Kravchuk, a science teacher at Haviland Middle School in the Hyde Park Central School District; Elise Sobol, a high school special education music teacher at Rosemary Kennedy School at Nassau BOCES; and Michael Comet, a high school science teacher in the South Lewis Central School District.