SALAMANCA — A math teacher at Salamanca High School has been chosen to present at the fall conference of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS), a statewide organization run by teachers.
Kayla Cappuccio, who teaches four different math courses, will present “Coding for the Algebra I Classroom” during the two-day event Nov. 2 and 3 in Saratoga Springs.
The presentation’s primary objective, Cappuccio said, is to help fellow teachers infuse essential computer coding and programming lessons “into the Algebra I curriculum that we already teach so that it’s not anything new or different” or “a separate class.”
Hired over the summer to fill a vacant math position in Salamanca, Cappuccio submitted a proposal in May to present at the conference. She delivered a similar presentation at the Canisius College Math Conference in January.
“We figure most kids take Algebra I,” she said. “I wanted to take it from a local level and open it up statewide.”
Christopher Siebert, high school principal, said Cappuccio is an energetic, well planned and engaging teacher who does a great job of motivating her students by making math realistic to their daily lives.
“She spent a few years working with a BOCES to develop the NYS K-12 math common core,” he said. “She has taught computer science and coding in a previous district and has brought that to Salamanca.”
Cappuccio, a Springville native, is new to the Salamanca City Central School District, previously teaching in East Aurora, Franklinville and for the city of Buffalo during the last seven years. She is teaching 8th-grade math, Algebra I, Consumer Math, and Computer Science this school year.
Besides being a member of the AMTNYS, Cappuccio is active in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) International.
Cappuccio was also recognized as a Master Teacher by New York state, Siebert said. To earn that distinction, she passed an exam, wrote an essay and garnered references from students and supervisors.
“It’s a four-year commitment and it involves at least 52 hours of professional development that you can’t use for your school or your certification,” she said. “It’s pretty much a bunch of teachers coming together about things that are interesting to them within science, math, technology and engineering.”
Siebert said Cappuccio spends a lot of time at the school after hours, both helping students and planning future lessons.
“Kayla has a very positive personality and has already taken part in school events such as the Color Waddle,” he said. “She is a very caring individual and from what I’ve learned from her she is extremely dedicated to not only education, but Salamanca.”
(Contact managing editor Kellen Quigley at kquigleysp@gmail.com)
