Meet The judges

WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL

MEDIA ARTS & DESIGN FOR ENGINEERING

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Claudia Palermo is a veteran teacher of both the visual and media arts. She studied at Skidmore College where she received her BS in Art and Education and went on to pursue an MA in Art Education at Teachers College  and an Ed.M  in Instructional Technology. She has been teaching at Westlake High School since 1988. There she has taught and developed curriculum for Studio Art, Ceramics, Photography, Media and Video, Broadcasting, Design Principles of Engineering, Graphic Design, Digital Design, and Digital Imaging. She was the Curriculum leader for the Arts Department grades 6-12 and worked not only with Visual Arts Department but also the Music Department on curricula. She has been an integral part of the growth of the art department, and STEAM program.  She has students who have been recognized locally and nationally and has seen hundreds of students pursue the arts in college and professionally.   Included in her successes are many students who are now currently working in the arts and in communications in News, Film, and Photography.

WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL
VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS
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BFA Virginia Commonwealth University, VA
MFA CUNY Lehman University, NY
 
Lauren Morris is a visual and media arts teacher with a remarkable 16-year tenure. Holding a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA from CUNY Lehman College, her expertise lies in teaching photography. As an active member of the NY State Lower Hudson Region Media Arts Committee, Lauren is dedicated to promoting Media Arts Education and enriching the artistic experiences of her students. Her energy and enthusiasm create an engaging and vibrant classroom environment where she fosters a deep love and understanding of photography.

Teaching both darkroom and digital photography, Lauren equips her students with the technical skills necessary to capture breathtaking images. However, her approach extends beyond the technical aspects. She encourages students to explore their creativity, infuse their work with personal expression, and develop their own unique artistic voices.

What truly sets Lauren apart is her genuine connection with her students. She takes immense joy in seeing her former students return to share stories of their successful careers in the arts. Lauren's passion for teaching, combined with her energetic and fun-loving nature, leaves a lasting impact on her students, inspiring them to pursue their artistic dreams and create meaningful connections through their visual storytelling.

https://laurenannephotography.my.canva.site/914

JOHN JAY HIGH SCHOOL

VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS

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Robyn Talbot earned her BS and MS degrees in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz, but her passion for photography was ignited by an amazing photography teacher during her senior year of high school. Robyn began teaching in Wappingers CSD in 1999 under the wing of veteran Media Arts guru Margaret Mealia. Since then, she has become the teacher-in-charge of Fine & Performing Arts at John Jay HS, earned a fellowship at RIT, won the 2018 Region 7 NYSATA HS Art Teacher of the Year, and was nominated for NYS Art Teacher of the Year in 2021. Robyn has worked on both district and statewide Media Arts curricula, taught Media Arts summer camps for MS & HS students in Wappingers and for The Art Effect, but her proudest moments are with her students who have earned hundreds of regional awards and 20 National Scholastic Gold & Silver medals. Over the years she has advised the Media Arts Club, Yearbook, and is currently the advisor for the Art & Literary Magazine, Elysium. 
Robyn is a participating teacher, judge, and statewide co-president of NYSMATA. 

JOHN JAY HIGH SCHOOL
VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS
 
Toni-Marie Catucci has been a Visual/Media Arts Educator at John Jay Senior High School in Hopewell Junction for the past 12 years. My specialty is in photography and digital art. I am also the advisor for the Patriot Yearbook. 

JOHN JAY HS (RETIRED)

MEDIA ARTS

Margaret Mealia is an art educator specializing in Photography and the Media Arts. Having received her teaching credentials through SUNY, New Paltz, she has taught elementary and middle school art as well as high school photography, video, broadcast, and media classes.
As a graduate student, she studied Photography with Marcia Goldner, attended RIT’s Photo/Imaging Technology Workshop led by Andrew Davidhazy and his team, the Hallmark Institute of Photography Seminars of Rick Sammon, and Greg Heisler, and took many Apple and Adobe sponsored media courses. 
As an educator, she worked on the NYS Elementary Art Standards (ca.1990s), contributed to NYSATA’s supplement for the NYS Art Standards (Media Arts, ca.1996), and served on the initial advisory committee for the current NYS Media Arts Standards. She has written local curriculum and standards, served several years as Teacher-in-charge for the WCSD, and retired after forty years of teaching.
Margaret has been a member of NYSMATA since 1989, edited the newsletter, and recently retired as NYSMATA’s Co-President.

MAMARONECK HIGH SCHOOL

MEDIA ARTS EDUCATOR (RETIRED)

Mr. Witsch is a veteran teacher of video production and media arts.  He currently serves as Secretary of the LMC Media Board of Directors and is an active producer and interviewer. 
Between 1972-2002 he developed the video program & directed the Television Center at Mamaroneck High School.  He also taught at New York University, Mercy College, Columbia University Teachers College, and Iona College.  He was a long term as co-President of the New York State Media Arts Teachers Association and has served on several boards of educational non-profits as well as local municipal and community organizations. 
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Mr. Witsch has authored articles for “Media & Methods” magazine, and his accomplishments at Mamaroneck H.S. are subjects in two books:  The Student Journalist by Carl R. Levine (Richards Rosen Press, NY, 1982) and The Children of Telstar by Kate Moody, Ed.D. (Center for Understanding Media and Vantage Press, NY, 1999).

SPARK STUDIOS & FORGE MEDIA

FILMMAKER & EDUCATOR

Paul Thompson, Director of Forge Media, has been actively involved in the film industry since graduating from The College of Saint Rose with a BA in broadcast media and film. Paul has produced commercials, creative shorts, documentaries, music videos, and live broadcasts for clients such as BrainPop, Legal Services of The Hudson Valley, Cardi B, Scenic Hudson, and Target. Since 2015, Paul has utilized his degree and his experience in human services and video production to help create a growing, creative, and expressive environment through Spark Studios and Forge Media, working closely with mentoring youth in our community. In his spare time, Paul enjoys photography and attending food festivals.

PUTNAM VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS 

I have 25 Years of experience teaching Art. Over the years I have taught many courses and media. I specialize in Media Arts and Photography, but also consistently teach Drawing & Painting and AP Art & Design. For the last five years I have also been teaching International Baccalaureate Visual Arts as well. In 2013 I was recognized as NYSATA Region 7 Art Educator of the year: High School Division. I enjoy painting, photography and making cards in my spare time.

RYE NECK HIGH SCHOOL

VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS

I have been teaching various levels of Art and Photography at Rye Neck High School for 27 years. I also teach AP Art and Design, Sculpture, and Graphic Art which is our Yearbook Production Class. In addition to teaching Art courses, I also run the High School Art Club, Chair the Arts department, and work in various aspects to help the musical production at the Middle and High School. I received my BS in Studio Art from SUNY New Paltz and my MA in Art Education at the College of New Rochelle.

OSSINING HIGH SCHOOL

VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS 

Ron Whitehead was born and raised in Maryland. After graduating high school in 1989, he joined the United States Army for four years. Ron is a Desert Storm veteran who served in Iraq. Ron has been teaching art in the Ossining UFSD for 25 years. He loves to paint, take photos and create short films.

PINE BUSH HS

VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS

I have been an art educator for over 20 years with the majority of them at Pine Bush High School where I am also the Art Chairperson. I teach Digital Photography, Media Arts and Media Arts II. I hold a Masters in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz and a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts. I am married to an art teacher and have two boys, ages 12 and 9 who also love art.

ST. CATHARINE ACADEMY

FINE ARTS

Fine Arts teacher for last twenty five years. Last fifteen years at St. Catharine Academy.

PUTNAM VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

MEDIA SPECIALIST

Dan Mahoney serves as the Media Specialist for the Putnam Valley Central School District, where he plays a key leadership role in the Film and Media Production program. Mr. Mahoney spearheaded the design and ongoing maintenance of Studio 116, Putnam Valley High School's television studio. His commitment extends beyond the physical space, as he actively supervises the studio's operations and co-teaches the Film and Media Production classes. A champion for innovative education, Mr. Mahoney has presented at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference, sharing his expertise on the development and implementation of a successful live streaming program at Putnam Valley. He takes great pride in the creativity and achievements of his students, fostering a dynamic learning environment that empowers them to excel in media production. For more information about Studio 116, please visit their website: www.studio116.org .

KINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL

VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS

I  have served the students of Kingston High School as an art educator for 20 years. Although I taught studio, crafts, digital, and darkroom photography, the darkroom process was a new medium for me. I discovered early on the immense power of working analog and the benefits it offered for high school students. I witnessed my students transform their interest in photography into a passion for the darkroom process despite the saturation of technologies present in our digital world. For this reason, I gathered other photo teachers from the surrounding region to start an annual exhibit called "A Light in the Dark",  which is just high school darkroom photography. This juried show, which has been running for 12 years now, was an attempt to reveal the value of working in analog photography and to preserve all high school darkroom programs. My ultimate goal is to expand and organize a larger region of high school student's works.  

SW B.O.C.E.S

COMMERCIAL ART

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Commercial Art Teacher Southern Westchester BOCES, Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Advertising, and Marketing