Dr. Sandy Melillo Named Broward’s 2008 Teacher of the Year

Dr. Sandy Melillo, an English and Television Production teacher at Northeast High School has been named Broward County Public Schools 2008 Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made at a celebration luncheon held at the Broward County Convention Center.

After 33 years of teaching, Melillo still cannot sleep the night before the first day of school. When she began her career at Northeast High School, she was teaching basic English to seniors, most of whom were at a fourth grade reading level. By using technology, her class produced a slide show with music. The students, who could barely read, wrote a terrific script and were proud of their final product. “That is the reason I have stayed in teaching,” says Melillo.

As a drama teacher, Melillo directed over 35 plays performed by students and faculty. Fourteen years ago, she switched from teaching drama to Television Production and saw the solid career opportunities growing in the field. Two of her former students have been second camera operators for feature films shot in Florida, while another owns his own production company, producing most of the automobile ads in South Florida. Her NETV students are completely responsible for the content of their morning show. As a result, they have won awards all over the country for their short films, documentaries and public service announcements.

Melillo’s dual enrollment and AP English classes have scored well on AP exams and FCAT. Checking test results has allowed her to adjust the course content, particularly in writing. As the school’s Language Arts Department Head, Melillo and three colleagues developed a ninth grade writing course and textbook that was distributed to all English teachers.

School-Related Employee of the Year 2006/07 Named

When Hurricane Wilma hit, Judith Bottiglieri was the point person who ensured that all schools and shelters were well stocked with the necessary emergency supplies. Although the working conditions were deplorable -- the office carpet soaked by rain, no electricity, no air-conditioning -- she worked for 17 straight days to ensure all shelters and essential emergency personnel had the right supplies at the right time. She stepped up to the plate and never complained. That is only one of the many reasons Judith Bottiglieri was named as Broward County Public Schools School-Related Employee of the Year 2006/07 at a celebration breakfast, held at the Chairman’s Club of the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. Bottiglieri is a technician in the District’s Materials Logistics Department.

In addition to her own responsibilities, Bottiglieri has trained many of the clerical staff members in the stockroom as well as the logistics group; supported the administrative needs of the Stockroom Supervisor; helped manage the stockroom and warehouse when the department was understaffed; and single-handedly maintained the Kronos pilot as well as the standard time card system for 120 employees. Bottiglieri leads by example. Her work habits, attendance, observation of work hours, and completion of all tasks assigned are without equal. Bottiglieri is diligent about identifying safety issues by serving on the Employee Safety Committee. Utilizing her accounting expertise, she brings cost-effective recommendations to management and safeguards the limited resources of her department.

Her calm demeanor and pleasant personality make Bottiglieri an outstanding employee and have earned her the respect of her associates.