What's Happening in Hicksville, NY…

Phillip Moshoyannis, who has been teaching in Hicksville for 23 years, was recently awarded a Fulbright for a year of study, including three weeks in Peru.

Moshoyannis was one of 76 teachers chosen from a total of 477 candidates. They are part of the U.S. State Department's Global Classrooms Program; the agency pays all their expenses.

The Fulbright Program is funded by the federal government, and was started in 1946 to provide scholarships and grants for students, teachers, and others who take part in international exchange efforts. The Teachers for Global Classrooms is one facet of the program, and pays for professional training for a year for classroom teachers. The training year includes a three-day symposium held in Washington, D.C., online instruction that teachers can take on their own time while they continue working in their classrooms, and travel abroad.

In Moshoyannis's case, that travel will include three weeks in Peru beginning in June. He says receiving the Fulbright has left him feeling reinvigorated, and plans to ask his counterparts in Peru how they teach their students about their country’s environment, and how to protect it. He also hopes to bring new ideas back to present to his students, and hopes his own students will be inspired to go out and explore the world for themselves.

Honors like this are rare, so officials might consider working with a flyer printing company to create an informative mailer for residents.