ROY AREZZO & ANN M. FRAIOLI

Founding teachers at the Harbor School, Roy and Ann introduce land-locked, underperforming students to New York waterways. In a course they invented, students explore the Hudson, Harlem, Bronx, and East Rivers, the Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek and various marshlands and estuaries. In the process, students discover they can measure the properties of water, identify plant and animal life, sail boats and write about their observations. The course prepares students for disciplined high school work in all subjects.

Committed, strict and passionate, these teachers help their students become focused, confident and ready to engage in education, work and the world around them.

PAULINE BARATTA

A math teacher at Aviation High Schools for 34 years, Pauline Baratta has inspired generations of students and teachers. Armed with patience and creativity, her strength is her ability to connect with all students and achieve impressive results. Not deterred by uninspiring textbooks, she engages students with examples from history, animated television shows, billiards and beyond. She breaks down the barriers between the shop and math departments by teaching problem solving in shop classes and using aviation examples in her math classes.

A colleague remarked that Ms. Barratta is never off-theclock:"Making poodle skirts for a school production led to lessons in practical math."

LISA M. COVER

Failure is not an option for math teacher Lisa Cover. Working in an underserved community, Ms. Cover creates a no-nonsense classroom environment where students are expected to do well. A disciplinarian with experience as a Peace Corp volunteer and a private sector civil engineer, she enforces high academic expectations partnered with fairness and flexibility in her approach. Ms. Cover connects with students through project-based learning, such as drawing the GW Bridge with geometrical precision.

Called "C cubed" by her principal, she excels in commitment, collaboration and content. Two seniors add, "We're going to college and she gave us the tools to get there."

SABAA ZICKRIA-DALY

Whether using mathematics to explain global warming or to solve crime, Sabaa Zickria-Daly inspires her students to be passionate about learning. From her informal cafeteria sessions for students, to her leadership at faculty meetings, over the last seven years Ms. Zickria-Daly earned a reputation as an innovator in teaching. Her peer counseling and teaching assistant programs give students a deeper understanding of math, as well as important life experience.

Known for her creative approach to education, colleagues praise Ms. Zickria-Daly for her ability to make complex mathematics relevant to the everyday lives of her students. One colleague summed it up best: "It's hard to imagine a more beloved teacher.

PATRICK HONNER

n his seven years as a math teacher, Patrick Honner stands out as a powerhouse, motivator and leader. His extraordinary math abilities are only part of the equation. He encourages students to take intellectual risks while guiding them toward advanced mathematical thinking. No pushover, his much imitated stare commands a classroom's attention—yet, he is equally admired for his commitment to his students.The recipient of two master teaching fellowships, his passion for math is also reflected in his work as a math team coach and a blog he created to spark broader student interest in math.

One colleague said, "He is an exceptional teacher because he is an exceptional human being."

Click here to watch a video of Patrick Honner talk about creativity and mathematics at a recent TED conference.

KARA BRISTOW MACDEVITT

Teaching high school science is demanding, but when the students are recent immigrants who speak Chinese, Russian, Urdu or one of 17 other languages, the challenges are magnified. Yet, Kara MacDevitt, has achieved extraordinary success by providing hands-on, rigorous science activities that also foster language development. A devoted afterschool tutor, 90 percent of her seniors who take the Living Environment Regents exam pass.

Considered "a master teacher and a teaching mentor," she works with colleagues to align coursework across disciplines. A history teacher's lesson on the Black Death results in a related lesson on disease transmission in her science class.

DAVID SCHEIMAN

An accomplished jazz musician, talented athlete and brilliant mathematician, David Scheiman had many career choices, including college teaching, but found his way to the Richard Green HS for Teaching at the urging of his father, a public school math teacher. At Richard Green and now at MSE, Mr. Scheiman is loved in the classroom and produces extraordinary results, from algebra to advanced calculus.

His creativity, knack for targeting the central topic, deep connection to his students and joy in being in the classroom produce students who excel at high levels of math.