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Faculty and Staff Awards
During the Academy’s annual opening assembly on September 2, 2022, John Basinger, Senior School mathematics teacher and math department chair, was named the 20th Clark Faculty Chair by the Board of Trustees and Dr. Ashley Birtwell, Head of School. The Clark Faculty Chair was established in 2003 by Sewickley Academy’s Board of Trustees in honor of Ham Clark’s 15-year tenure as Headmaster of Sewickley Academy and his wife, Ceci Clark’s, many contributions to the life of the school. Each year, the Board seeks nominations from the faculty, staff, parents, and alumni for a deserving candidate. A nominated teacher has earned the respect of colleagues and the community as a subject matter master who displays a love of teaching with energy and enthusiasm. This person must regularly seek professional growth opportunities and be engaged in Academy life. When asked about Mr. Basinger, a group of senior boys including Hudson Colletti, Nick Madison, Lucas Mendonca, Garrett Smith, Bennett Spencer, and Jonathan and Thomas Varghese enthusiastically responded, “He is the most intelligent teacher. He’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met. He’s always very jolly and stays positive. He’s never in a bad mood and includes good jokes in his teaching. He is so passionate about what he teaches, and his style really works for us. We spend time practicing what we learn in class instead of struggling with it at home.” Mr. Basinger earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Penn State and went on to receive a master’s in applied mathematics from WVU. This is his 23rd year with Sewickley Academy, and he has been teaching in high schools and colleges since 1996. In his years with SA, he has assisted in numerous extracurricular roles including Middle School soccer coach, African American Awareness sponsor, admissions committee member, and house dean. He has also served as an Advanced Placement Grader for the BC Calculus exam since 2008 and is a GeoSketchpad instructor. As a teacher, John regularly encourages his students to stretch, grow, and reach for their dreams.
Regarding what he likes most about teaching, Mr. Basinger said, “Working with young people and helping them get excited about math. I really love it when they see the joy in math.”
John exemplifies all that the Clark Faculty Chair stands for,” said Associate Head of School Chris Anderson. “His devotion to the students is evident in each of his daily interactions and his students speak highly of his engaging classes and remarkably effective teaching techniques.”
As part of the Academy’s annual opening assembly on September 2, 2022, John Basinger, Senior School math teacher, was named the 20th Clark Faculty Chair. Shown here with Associate Head of School Chris Anderson, Chair of the Board of Trustees Kate (Poppenberg ’82) Pigman, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Brad Busatto ’88, Head of School Ashley (Brown ’00) Birtwell, and Dr. Susan Zawacky.
The Elizabeth Bishop Martin ’79 Faculty Award
Mary Jo Shine, Senior School Physics This award was established to recognize a teacher at Sewickley Academy who has made a significant contribution to advancing the mission of the school. The award winner is added to the Selection Committee each year and receives a cash award of $1,000.
The Jerry Smith Award for Outstanding Service
Terry Canonge, Buildings & Grounds This award was created in honor of Jerry Smith who began his long career at Sewickley Academy as a French teacher in the Middle and Senior schools. He moved into the Technology Department where he provided support to faculty and staff school-wide and implemented new technology throughout the school.
In 2022, four new awards were established for faculty and staff to nominate those individuals who have gone above and beyond their roles on campus. These awards include:
SA Community Award
Derek Chimner ’04, Interim Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion This award was designed to recognize a faculty or staff member who has had a positive impact on all parts of the SA community including students, faculty, staff, parents, and/or alumni. Nate Bell, Arts Department Technical Director This award was created to recognize a faculty or staff member who works hard behind-the-scenes to make SA a welcoming environment for the whole community.
Innovation Award
Erin Whitaker, Educational Technology Coordinator and Computer Science/Technology Teacher The purpose of this award is to recognize a faculty or staff member who has contributed a new idea, initiative, or process that has positively affected the SA community.
Service to Students Award
Beth Brown, School Nurse This award recognizes a faculty or staff member who has had a significant impact on the overall student body of SA. For 2022-23, SA initiated schoolwide department chair roles. Serving in these positions along with their classroom responsibilities are: John Basinger Math Chair
Jennifer Brown World Languages Chair David Lalomia Visual Arts Chair
Alicia Latte English Chair Kate Lukaszewicz History & Social Science Chair Cristy McCloskey Computer Science Chair Ruth Neely Libraries Chair
Pam Scott Performing Arts Chair Ben Spicer Science Chair
Honorary Alumni
On August 25, 2022, the first day all faculty returned to campus for the 2022-23 academic year, a special, surprise ceremony was held to honor all faculty and staff who have dedicated ten years or more to Sewickley Academy. These 57 individuals were named Honorary Alumni of Sewickley Academy. Each Spring going forward, employees who have reached ten years of service will receive this recognition. The first class of Honorary Alumni of Sewickley Academy includes: Ellen Martin, 42 years Lori Sherry, 35 years Pam Scott, 34 years Kevin Gazda, 33 years Keith Siebert, 32 Leslie Levine-James, 30 Dania Paul, 29 Cheryl Ann Lassen, 28 Jay Brown, 27 Jessica Peluso, 25 Julia Tebbets, 25 David Lalomia, 24 Frederick Moreno, 24 Suzi Peluso, 24 John Basinger, 22 Jennifer Brown, 22 Pascale Spinelli, 22 Crista Pryor, 22 Heather Border, 21 Michael Elson, 21 Win Palmer, 21 Jayne Parker, 21 Cindy Bevevino, 20 Holly Haddad, 20 Cristy McCloskey, 20 Vanessa Villalobos, 20 Sally Weir, 20 Marina Buratti, 19 David Maloney, 19 Debbie Mankowski, 19 Shannon Mulholland, 19 Casey Calland, 19 Edward Taylor, 18 Stephanie Latusick, 17 Chris Anderson, 16 Wendy Berns, 16 Christopher Carney, 16 Ben Spicer, 15 Celeste Antill, 14 Karen DiMaio, 14 Matt Michaels, 14 Jayme Thompson, 14 Kalyn Whelan, 14 Terry Canonge, 13 John Riddle, 13 Shan Callaghan, 12 Michael Cesario, 12 Jessica Hecht, 12 Carrie Lanza, 12 Jing Zhou, 12 Joe Borzacchiello, 11 Ron Kinser, 11 Nataliya Di Domenico, 10 Tim Heavner, 10 Christy Mulhollem, 10 Lisa Plassio, 10 Shannon Rankin, 10
This list does not include faculty and staff who are Sewickley Academy graduates and have worked for the Academy for ten or more years.
MARY-JO SHINE RETIRES AFTER 17 YEARS WITH SA
Mary-Jo Shine joined the Academy’s science department at the beginning of the 2005-06 academic year. In the 17 years that led up to her retirement with the conclusion of the 2021-22 academic year, she was a mentor, friend, and model teacher, never letting the complexities of teaching challenging subjects to teenagers overshadow the importance of play in the learning process. Her labs were always equipped with gizmos and gadgets to illustrate concepts and inspire awe from her students. Colleague Ben Spicer stated, “Sometimes students just need to play to find out where they are headed. Mary-Jo never forgot that, and her students will be forever grateful for the time they had in her classroom, playing and learning.” On a personal note, he added, “Over the years, I have been the fortunate half of a great partnership in teaching. I was nearly a kid when I first met her. As I have grown up in this profession, she listened to every wild idea I proposed. I am going to miss her more than I have yet to realize.” Mary-Jo offered unconditional support to her peers and served as an inspiration to those who needed to raise their voice and be heard for the collective good. Sewickley Academy benefited greatly from her years of service, diligence in her practice, collaboration with her colleagues, and desire to support the students. On her last official workday with the Academy, Mary-Jo was honored as the recipient of the 2022 Elizabeth Bishop Martin Faculty Award recognizing her significant contribution to advancing the mission of the school. Particularly noted were her subject mastery and dedication to her students, and ability to make the right decisions even when that required following the more difficult path.
The faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Sewickley Academy wish her many years of joy and good health in retirement.
