Student Achievement
Grad student receives ‘Shirt Off Our Backs’ Award
Mount graduate Education student Zachary Grzeczka (left) stands with the Pawling High School student-athlete who nominated him for the “Shirt Off Our Backs” award.
Photo provided
Zachary Grzeczka, a graduate student in the Education program, was recently honored with the “Shirt Off Our Backs” award at Pawling High School.
Grzeczka, who was completing his student teaching experience in Social Studies, was selected for the honor by members of the Pawling High School Boys’ Varsity Soccer team.
The “Shirt Off Our Backs” award is a tradition where student-athletes identify a teacher or staff member who has had a significant positive impact on their lives and encouraged their success. The honoree is invited to wear the team’s jersey during the school day and is recognized in a ceremony on the field during a home game.
“To see that I had an impact on [the student who nominated him] – even though I wasn’t his teacher anymore – really meant a lot to me, because sometimes you don’t know if you’re getting through to them,” Grzeczka said.
For a student teacher, whose role in students’ lives is brief, an award like this is a major accomplishment.
“It really makes me feel like I’m part of the community,” Grzeczka explained. “Being a student teacher, you don’t always feel like you’re part of the faculty or the staff yet. So to be recognized by a student and the Varsity Soccer team made me feel like I was really part of that family.”
He added, “It validates everything that I’m doing and why I want to be a teacher,” he said.
Kappa Delta Pi recognized for excellence in teaching and leadership
Mount KDP members deliver about 1,000 donations to the Highland New York American Legion, to be sent to victims of Hurricane Helene. From left to right: Catherine McLoughlin (co-membership chair); Maggie Veach (Social Media Manager and Vice President); Emily Casale (co-membership chair), and Katerina Calderone (treasurer).
Photo provided
The Mount’s Sigma Tau Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), the International Honor Society in Education, was recently recognized by KDP International for their impact on the campus and local community.
KDP and its leadership earned a combined six awards, highlighting their commitment to community service, leadership development, and their appreciation of the teaching profession.
The chapter received the Celebration of Teaching Award (Silver Level) for its “Growing a Love of Learning” project, which saw members surprise 20 professors across the Mount campus with custom flower bouquets and personalized notes of gratitude. The chapter was also recognized with the Chapter Challenge Plus Award for its fundraising success, which exceeded $250 in support of KDP International’s global initiatives.
Another recognition came in the form of the Community Service Projects Award. The chapter has hosted numerous impactful initiatives, including teaching sustainability lessons at Bishop Dunn Memorial School (located on the Mount’s campus), organizing a Hurricane Helene relief drive that collected more than 1,000 donated items for families in the Carolinas, and hosting a Cultural Awareness Fair to promote global diversity.
Finally, the chapter was honored with the Leadership Development Award for its comprehensive initiation process and activities, which prepared 25 new members for induction by engaging them in high-impact projects throughout the year, including the annual Cupcake 5K at Bishop Dunn which earned nearly $20,000 for scholarships for the school.
The outstanding work of the chapter’s leaders was also recognized nationally and regionally. Katerina Calderone, the chapter’s Treasurer, was named one of only 12 recipients nationwide of the Distinguished Chapter Officer Award. This honor, typically reserved for Presidents or Vice Presidents, recognized Calderone’s extraordinary service, which included organizing the Hurricane Helene relief efforts, managing dual financial accounts for efficient operations, and co-teaching after-school science programs.
Additionally, faculty advisor Sonya Abbye Taylor, former associate professor of Education at the Mount, was named one of only five recipients of the Regional Counselor Award in the country. For more than a decade, Taylor served as the advisor and glue that held the chapter together, providing mentorship, securing resources, and guiding students through major service projects.
Students showcase diverse research at SURE Symposium
Photos by Lee Ferris
Mount students presented their extensive, summer-long research projects at the annual Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Symposium.
The symposium was the culmination of a summer of intensive, faculty-mentored research, providing students from across various disciplines the opportunity to formally present their original findings through academic poster presentations.
The SURE program empowers Mount students to tackle real-world problems and contribute new knowledge to their respective fields, ranging from behavioral science to technology development and environmental chemistry and beyond.
This year’s projects demonstrated the breadth of student ingenuity at the Mount. Research topics at the symposium included:
Environmental Science: “An Analysis of Microplastic Contamination in Hudson Valley Flora and Fauna,” investigating the accumulation of microplastics in local aquatic life.
Psychology: “Who Am I and What is Right? The Development of Morality and the Self-Concept,” which explores how age and gender shape moral reasoning.
Chemistry/Health: “Investigating the Antimicrobial Effects on ‘Homeopathic’ Remedies In-Vitro,” examining popular health claims using controlled laboratory experiments.
The 2025 Symposium also featured a keynote address from Jennifer Bready, Dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, and Education and Professor of Mathematics. Bready spoke on “The Twists and Turns of Academic Research,” sharing insights from her career in scholarly pursuit.
Students unveil projects at iROC Symposium
Photos by Lee Ferris
The culmination of the Fall semester brought a wave of new knowledge to the Mount on Wednesday, December 3, as dozens of student scholars presented their findings at the Investigating Research on Campus (iROC) symposium.
Students from a wide spectrum of majors, ranging from the sciences to the humanities, stood by their research posters, ready to explain their hypotheses, methods, and conclusions to peers and faculty alike.
Whether showcasing an Honors thesis, an independent study, or a deep-dive course project, iROC offers students a professional platform to highlight their work and engage with the broader academic community beyond the classroom walls.
