Local teachers are making a lasting impact on students

Pictured clockwise from top left: Gloria Pulgarin is a dual-language teacher at Mount Kisco Elementary School. (Cassidy Studios photo); Kimberly Buckley has been a teacher at Katonah Elementary School for more than 25 years. (KLSD photo); Dana Signorile, a Fox Lane Middle School health teacher, with Nicole Goldstein-Regan, who teaches special education at Fox Lane High School. Goldstein-Regan is also a volleyball coach and established Fox Lane's chapter of the Best Buddies program.  (Jen Garry Photo); Tim McGovern teaches at The Hawthorn School in Bedford, a school which he helped found. (Hawthorn school photo);

By DAVI SCHULMAN 

From fostering community connections to inspiring a love of learning, these five dedicated educators are among the many teachers shaping young lives across northern Westchester in extraordinary ways.

Gloria Pulgarin

In a recording as a 4-year-old child in Colombia, Gloria Pulgarin told her grandmother she wanted to be a nurse or a teacher when she grew up. She loved playing school as a kid and pretended to be an English teacher before she even spoke English. Teaching feels “like a dream come true” for Pulgarin.

After moving to the U.S. in 2001, her jobs included waitressing and driving a school bus before returning to school for her second master’s degree in education.

Pulgarin has spent more than 10 years working at Mount Kisco Elementary School, first as an aide, then as a teacher’s assistant and now as a teacher. She taught fourth grade for the past four years but is now moving up to fifth grade.

MKES offers a dual-language program where instruction alternates daily between Spanish and English. Pulgarin teaches a full day in Spanish, while her partner teacher covers the English day. Many of her students speak Spanish at home, while others arrive as native English speakers and become fluent in Spanish through immersion.

She’s fascinated by how students use their first language to build ideas in a second — a process called translanguaging — and believes cultural education fosters tolerance. Living in Mount Kisco, she often sees her students and their families around town. Her ultimate goal, she said, “To help [my] students become better members of society.”

Kimberly Buckley

A lifelong Bedford resident, Kimberly Buckley has taught at Katonah Elementary School for more than 25 years. After years in first and second grade, she now teaches third grade. “I grew up here, I’m raising my family here and I work here,” she said. “It’s a special connection.”

Buckley describes herself as “obsessed with books,” and loves exposing students to stories far beyond their own experiences. She also enjoys science, recently guiding her class through designing and testing new glue recipes for the school. Above all, she values building a strong classroom community and cherishes watching former students grow up.

A mother of four, Buckley says teaching and parenting constantly influence each other. She treasures the support of her colleagues and imagines one day pursuing a childhood dream of writing a book or opening a small bookstore or bake shop, but for now, she’s “loving every minute” in the classroom.

Tim McGovern

Tim McGovern says he was “lucky to come from a family that values education” and to have had teachers who “transformed the way [he] saw the world.” Just a week after graduating college, he began teaching third grade at a South Bronx charter school. He said that was his most challenging yet rewarding job to date.

Three years ago, he helped found The Hawthorn School, a Catholic liberal arts school in Bedford serving pre-K through eighth grade. Starting with 37 students, the school will welcome over 120 this fall. McGovern has taught middle school boys in every subject and now serves as acting head of school for the boys’ side. 

He leads the school’s mentorship program and cross-country club, and runs Hawthorn’s “dangerous camp for boys,” where participants learn skills like building fires and shelters. Currently pursuing a second master’s in character education, McGovern is fascinated by “the formational aspect of schools” and hopes Hawthorn will positively impact thousands of students in the years to come.

Nicole Goldstein-Regan

Nicole Goldstein-Regan’s passion for educational inclusion began early. She volunteered in special education classrooms throughout her own school years, inspired by a teacher in Irvington with whom she still keeps in touch. For the past seven years, she has taught special education at Fox Lane High School in Bedford.

She also founded and advises Fox Lane’s chapter of Best Buddies, an international organization promoting social inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “Nicole didn’t just start a club, she sparked a movement,” said parent Karen Close. Her leadership helped Fox Lane earn Best Buddies New York Chapter of the Year award.

Goldstein-Regan also assistant coaches boys’ varsity volleyball, connecting athletes with Best Buddies participants to “make athletics a unifier,” she said. “There should never be an instance where anyone feels left out.” 

“You can definitely tell that she puts a lot of time and effort into the Best Buddies club trying to make it as inclusive and engaging as possible,” said student Joseph Racanelli, who is also a member of the varsity volleyball team.

David Albano

A Fox Lane graduate, David Albano has taught English at his alma mater for 28 years. His path to the classroom included serving in the Peace Corps in Malawi, Africa, teaching court-placed boys in Albany, and working on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. These experiences continue to shape his curriculum, which includes diverse authors from Africa and beyond.

Albano teaches AP English literature and 11th-grade English, and has led electives such as creative writing and mythology. He’s active outside the classroom, overseeing the school garden and beehives, helping with the literary magazine, organizing the annual Fox Read community program and chaperoning service trips to build houses in Central America. 

“Students do return from the trip with a sense of accomplishment and with the belief that their efforts can make the world better,” said Albano.

Each summer, he and student volunteers harvest garden produce for the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry.

Even during difficult times, Albano remains optimistic. “Teaching is one of the professions where you can lead with your heart,” he said.

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