The South Country School District is proud to announce that one of their own, Romelo Green, has earned the New York State Council for the Social Studies 2024 Susan Wasserman Young Professional Memorial Award.
“Without the collaborative effort of my colleagues, the dedication of my students and the backing of our school district, I would not have been a recipient of this award,” said Green. “It is an accomplishment for all of us.”
The award will be presented to Green at the NYSCSS annual conference on March 8. The honor recognizes Green’s “exceptional teaching potential within the first five years of teaching,” community engagement and knowledge in social studies. He was nominated for the award by fellow teacher Andrew Budris.
“Romelo Green, at such an early stage in his career, has successfully become like a Swiss army knife for our social studies department,” said Budris. “In his four years at South Country, he has taught middle school, high school, English as a new language, Advanced Placement and inclusion classes. He brings an exceptional work ethic, creativity and commitment to his students for every task.” He added, “The New York State Council for the Social Studies was especially impressed by Mr. Green's leadership in real-life civics education through our Generation Citizen program.”
Bellport High School Principal Erika DellaRosa further praised Green. “Romelo’s professionalism shines through in everything he does,” she said. “He is an exceptional role model for all of our students. We are so proud of him for not only this amazing achievement, but for the work he does every day with his students. I look forward to watching him grow as an educator and seeing what the future has in store for him here at Bellport High School.”
Green joined the South Country School District four years ago as a social studies teacher, teaching 10th grade Global History at the high school and seventh grade social studies at the middle school. He now teaches 11th grade U.S. History and Government in ENL, inclusion and general education settings, as well as 12th grade AP Government and Politics. He earned an associate degree from Suffolk County Community College, a Bachelor of Arts in history from St. Joseph's University and a Master of Arts in social studies education from Hofstra University.
Green is a member of the Long Island Council for the Social Studies, the New York State Council for the Social Studies and the American Historical Association, which is the nation’s professional organization for historians and other professionals. He has presented at the LICSS’s annual conference on civic capstone projects for middle school students and at the AHA’s annual conference on how to navigate controversial topics during contentious times. He is also deeply involved in implementing the South Country School District’s civics curriculum, Generation Citizen, at the middle school. The program is currently implemented at the high school for seniors.
Date Added: 2/6/2024