Staff Showcase

Disney Teacher of the Year Christopher Vicari

If modesty is any measure of a man, then Christopher Vicari is a giant. The Yonkers International Baccalaureate High School English teacher was chosen from more than 75,000 nominees to receive the 2006 Disney Teacher of the Year award. The honor celebrates his creativity, his innovative teaching methods and his ability to inspire his students. Ask any of the young people who pass through his classroom; each will tell you just what a treasure this man is. Watch the WebCast video of the meeting and judge for yourself. (You’ll need a hankie).

As one of only 44 Disney Teacher Honorees, Mr. Vicari receives a cash stipend from Disney, an invitation to relaxation time at Disneyland in Anaheim, California during the summer and the opportunity to attend a six-day professional development institute at Disney World in Orlando, Florida with his principal, Mr. Ralph Vigliotti. In addition, Disney awarded $5,000 to Yonkers Middle/High School.

“Disney is dedicated to brightening the lives of children and we salute dedicated teachers like Mr. Vicari for using creativity in their classrooms to inspire our children to achieve more than they ever thought possible,” said Terry Wick, vice president of Disney Worldwide Outreach.

Disney Teacher Honorees are selected by their peers—representatives of leading educational associations from across the United States and former Disney Teacher Honorees. Honorees come from every subject field and every level of PreK-12 teaching. Vicari is one of three Honorees being recognized for high school humanities education.

Creativity is key in Vicari’s classroom. “One of the most exciting and effective units I have done with my students is with Dante’s The Divine Comedy. Dante wrote the original text in the 1300s in Italian, in terza rima, and in allegory,” explained Vicari. “In order to bring the difficult allegory to life, I teach the entire unit by drawing 40 foot long allegorical cartoons in colored chalk across four panels of blackboard for every single canto. As students interpret the cartoons, Dante’s allegory becomes clear.”

“I love to watch the ‘lightbulbs’ turn on in my students’ minds. I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction when they get inspired by a work of literature, or when they can apply an author’s message to their own lives and make it relevant,” said Vicari.

The Disney Teacher Awards do not simply honor one teacher, they also make an investment in that teacher’s educational community. In addition to the monetary awards, Disney invited Mr. Vicari and Mr. Vigliotti to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., in October for a six-day professional development institute where they can refine their own innovative teaching approaches by sharing ideas and learn how to engage other teachers to build an effective collaborative teaching culture at their school. The Disney Institute is a recognized leader in experiential training, leadership development and organizational cultural change.

Mr. Vicari and Mr. Vigliotti will also have the opportunity to work with experts from the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston to design a schoolwide plan for making teaching more effective. Vicari will take a leadership role, educating his fellow teachers in the creative techniques that have made him so successful at connecting with students.

“After Disney’s professional development, I will be able to work intimately with my colleagues to implement new, creative, and effective ideas and methodology,” said Vicari.

“It is through Mr. Vicari’s relentless efforts that his students become self-thinkers, mastering the skills and strategies that they will carry with them to their collegiate pursuits and beyond,” wrote Mr. Vigliotti in a letter to Disney. “Mr. Vicari embodies the concept that the world is his classroom and there is always something valuable to learn.”

During the week of celebratory events in Anaheim, five exceptional teachers will be chosen from the 44 Honorees. Four Outstanding Teachers and one Disney Teacher of the Year will receive an additional $15,000 from Disney.

“I feel teaching is one of the most important jobs one can have, and I love to see quality teachers get recognized for their hard work and dedication,” said Vicari.