Bedford Park teacher surprised with $25,000 award for excellence in education
Deborah Reich, science department coordinator at World View High School, was honored with the FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, an annual award given to one teacher from each of New York City's five boroughs.
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A Bedford Park educator received the surprise of a lifetime Monday afternoon when she was presented with a $25,000 award recognizing her impact on students and commitment to teaching.
Deborah Reich, science department coordinator at World View High School, was honored with the FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, an annual award given to one teacher from each of New York City's five boroughs. The award recognizes educators who make a significant difference in the lives of their students.
Reich believed she was attending a routine school event to redo an interview she had completed weeks earlier. Instead, she walked into a room filled with cheering students and colleagues and learned she had won the prestigious award.
“They told me I was coming up for an interview that I had done weeks ago that didn’t come out well, so they wanted me to redo the interview. I did not know that I’d walk into a roomful of my students. Overwhelmed, excited, I feel very honored,” Reich said.
The award includes a $25,000 check for the recipient and a $10,000 grant for the school. Administrators said the school’s portion will help fund a new art and ecology elective in partnership with Fordham University.
Reich said her passion for teaching began long before she entered the classroom professionally.
“Back in elementary and middle school, I’d help other students...and then I was a lifeguard for many summers, and best part was teaching swim lessons, and I realized the pattern was I liked teaching and helping young people,” she said.
Former student Amari Pace credited Reich with teaching lessons that extended beyond academics.
“She taught me that it’s all about persistence and being resilient. There are times you need to overcome certain obstacles. But once you get past that, you can accomplish great things,” Pace said.
School leaders said the additional funding will provide valuable opportunities for students, many of whom come from low-income households.
Assistant Principal Yolanda Olsen said the grant will help expand access to resources and educational opportunities.
“We’re a Title I school, so a lot of our students come from families at the poverty level, so any kind of resources that we can have to give them any advantage or leg up means the world to them,” Olsen said.
Reich's colleagues described her as one of the school's most dedicated educators, saying the recognition is well deserved after years of service to students in the Bronx.
