Eric Sterling, a teacher at the Andrews-Trahey School on Hillside’s Monroe Campus, was honored in February with the coveted Golden Apple Award by Rochester’s WROC-TV news team. The award, presented weekly, salutes excellence in the region’s teaching community.
An 18-year Hillside veteran who teaches mathematics to students in grades 4 through 12, Sterling was surprised by a February 4 visit from WROC to his classroom that had been arranged in advance once his nomination had been selected. In remarks to the news crew, he praised the “family environment” that makes being a Hillside teacher so enjoyable. He said the best parts of his job are “getting to know the students and building relationships,” and he thanked his students and colleagues “for making Hillside such a great place to be.”
Sterling’s Golden Apple nomination, prepared by his colleagues, described him as “an experienced educator, a life-long learner, and a team player. His knowledge of elementary and secondary education, curriculum, childhood development, learning characteristics of children and educational disabilities make him an asset to our school.”
The nomination continued: “Eric has dedicated endless hours outside of school to meet with and mentor less tenured staff. He creates engaging content to help students prepare and feel confident about the work they are doing and shares that work with his peers. Eric has always been able to differentiate his instruction and create learning opportunities to engage all students academically and socially.
“Eric is a professional who takes the time to listen, evaluate, and brainstorm. He is collaborative and has demonstrated this through his work with teachers, staff and students.”
Hillside’s array of services include five 853 schools that each deliver a NYSED-certified curriculum for youth in residential or day-treatment settings. In addition to the Andrews-Trahey School on the Monroe Campus in Rochester, Hillside schools are located on the agency’s other residential campuses in Chili, Bath and Auburn; and at the Halpern Education Center, a day-treatment site in Webster.