Massapequa School District technology education teacher Matthew Swanson won first place in the annual Teacher Appreciation Week Contest, sponsored by Teacher’s Federal Credit Union. As the top winner in the grades 6-8 division, he received a $2,500 prize and a bunch of swag for his students.
Mr. Swanson teaches three periods daily of eighth grade technology at Berner Middle School. He also is at Massapequa High School for Architectural Drawing and Video Game Design, and advises the high school Robotics Club. His prize is at the middle school level and plans to use the funds for new tools and equipment for the Berner technology program.
Earlier this year, he was nominated by high school teacher Ernie Kabelka. Mr. Swanson then submitted more information about himself and his classes, and became one of six finalists from among about 1,000 nominees Following a week of online voting, he emerged as the middle school winner.
In addition to the monetary prize, he received several boxes of goodies for his students including drawstring bags, piggy banks, pens and highlighters.
Mr. Swanson, who has been a technology teacher in the district for 15 years, said the eighth grade course is very hands-on for students. They complete several projects throughout the year using both traditional and modern methods. They make phone speaker amplifiers with a computer numerical control router that cuts the wood after students create 3D models on a computer. The boxes are finished off with custom laser engraving. The bridge-building project is a manual cut-and-glue activity, with textbooks stacked on top at the end to test their durability.
“I like building, I like creating,” Mr. Swanson said. “It’s as simple as that. I like to build stuff. I always come to school eager for the day and ready to get my students engaged in their projects.”
Patricia LiVecchi, supervisor of career and technical education, congratulated Mr. Swanson on this deserved recognition and noted that he is an exceptional teacher within a department full of top-tier educators.
“I have the best technology teachers,” she said. “They want this program to do well. Every innovation they come up with helps the students. The teachers make the learning relevant to today’s world.”