FACULTY BIOS: GRANTS

Bay Ridge Resident Eileen Corigliano Receives People to People Eisenhower Distinguished Educator Award

Bay Ridge resident Eileen Corigliano, who is the Assistant Head of School for Middle and Upper Schools at Staten Island Academy, received the People to People Eisenhower Distinguished Educator Award on November 29, 2006. Additionally, the Academy was one of 25 schools across the nation selected to receive The People to People Distinguished School Award.

The People to People Eisenhower Distinguished Awards honor top schools and educators for their accomplishments in educating from a holistic perspective in developing students’ minds and character. Eileen Corigliano and Staten Island Academy were named for continuous commitment to the People to People mission.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded People to People in 1956 with the intent that its members would work to promote peace through understanding. People to People Student Leader Programs select top students for participation based on educator nominations. The programs seek motivated students with academic promise, leadership potential and a desire to serve their communities. Nominated students are invited to attend programs that allow them to pursue their interests in leadership or a desired career field and give them an edge in the college admissions process. The Academy typically nominates six or seven students each year to participate. These summer programs are held once a year on the campuses of four top U.S. universities: Georgetown University, George Washington University, Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Ms. Corigliano encourages Staten Island Academy students to attend the People to People programs because she believes it is important for them to develop leadership skills. “Fostering leadership is one of my goals as Assistant Head of School,” said Ms. Corigliano. “We do it within the community in several ways, including having our students lead our assemblies. The People to People program is a fabulous external opportunity that allows students to further develop those skills to improve their ability to lead. Some students are natural leaders, but more have leadership qualities but don’t know quite how to use them.”

Ms. Corigliano further stated that she has always received positive feedback from the People to People program about the high quality of Staten Island Academy students who have attended. “The People to People staff has told me that our students are stand-outs,” she said. “They represent us well.”

Ms. Corigliano joined the staff of Staten Island Academy in September 1995 as a Grade 5 and 6 teacher and a Middle School advisor. Since then, she has also served as the director of technology integration in the curriculum in Kindergarten-Grade 8; director of information resources, which included overseeing a complete renovation of the Academy’s library; and site director for the Summer Institute for the Gifted for Kindergarten-Grade 6, which the Academy began hosting in the summer of 2006. Ms. Corigliano assumed her current position in July of 2008.

A lifelong resident of Brooklyn, Ms. Corigliano attended St. Anselm’s School for elementary school and Fontbonne Hall Academy for high school. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. John’s University, where she also earned a professional diploma in educational administration and supervision. Her father owns Frank Corigliano Construction, a second-generation general contracting firm located at 81st and 3rd in Bay Ridge.