Rosemary Kaste came to the Levittown School District as a "Title One" teacher of mathematics. She quickly became part of the MacArthur family, and when a teaching position became available, she was a natural choice. With her soft-spoken yet firm approach, she maintains a scholarly atmosphere where students can flourish. She can be found both before and after school offering extra help and working with students to provide the reinforcement that many require. As a teacher of mathematics, she was also instrumental in bringing new technology to the department by working in partnership with Texas Instruments along with Chairperson Ann Davidian. Together they have presented workshops to Long Island teachers to share their expertise thereby enhancing the academic reputation of MacArthur High School.

One of the most important "jobs" Kaste has is one that she has held for nine years without any monetary remuneration. She serves as the coordinator of the Renaissance Committee which is the largest committee in the school with over fifty members. Founded at MacArthur in 1994, the Renaissance movement seeks to provide recognition for academic achievement at all levels. Students are awarded membership cards at special breakfasts which can yield an attendance of 700 or more students. These cards provide discounts at various businesses in the community and reinforce the message that the staff applauds their efforts. Other programs have developed as a result of the Renaissance influence, including the Teachers' Choice Awards, special recognition at graduation for four-year cardholders and a scholarship program. Kaste works tirelessly to keep the Renaissance spirit alive, and she enjoys the respect and admiration of her colleagues for her efforts which, in turn, brings more volunteers into the program. In addition to these full-time jobs, Kaste has taught religious instruction in her community church for four years.

On the home front, Kaste's two sons, Jim (now 28) and Ed (now 26) were in elementary school in 1981 when she first became involved in PTA. As with many other volunteers, she went to a meeting "to help out a little" and seemingly never came home. Over the years she found herself crocheting hundreds of pins as fund raisers, baking cakes for hospitality groups, baking the ubiquitous cupcakes, riding the school bus on field trips as Class Mother and hand-weaving hundreds of placemats. Eventually she became an officer in her Manetuck PTA in West Islip, serving as secretary, treasurer, and chairperson of a multitude of committees. Like other soccer moms, she often found herself cleaning fields, dispensing juice and cheering on both wins and losses. She remembers those days fondly as those same sons are now doing post-doctoral work at Dartmouth College (Jim) and working as an engineer for IBM (Ed).

Dubbed a "pioneer" by Texas Instruments, Kaste was the first teacher in the world to use the Navigator system in the classroom in 2002. She is a teacher passionate about her subject who relishes the moment when, as she describes it, "....that look of understanding and excitement lights up a student's eyes."

When she has rare free time, Kaste enjoys pursuing two hobbies - music and running. She plays the piano (her favorite is Puccini's Musetta's Waltz) and she loves to dance.

Kaste is a true example of a volunteer who works for children for the sole motivation of helping them to succeed and cheering for them along the way. MacArthur High School is very proud to have her on the staff, and we firmly believe that she is very deserving of this honor.

Salk Middle School's recipient of the Honorary Life Award is Maria Emeric, a person who continuously gives her time and effort on behalf of children and the community. As such, she truly exemplifies all that an Honorary Life recipient should be.

Emeric's involvement in PTA began when the elder of her two children was in elementary school. First at Seaman Neck and then at East Broadway, where she served for two years as the PTA's co-president, Emeric volunteered for many committees such as School Development, Fund Raising, Fun Night, Blood Drive, Pre-K Orientation, Elementary Report Card, Book Fair, Nominating, Valentine's Dance, Wacky Olympics, Mother's Day Plant Sale, and the Father's Day Sale. She also chaired Holiday Boutique and Membership, in addition to being a class parent and a grade parent.

When her children moved to middle and high school, so did Emeric's spirit of volunteerism. Salk-MacArthur PTSA has benefited greatly from having her in the roles of corresponding secretary, recording secretary and - her current one - Vice-President in charge of membership and fund raising, as well as chairperson for Honorary Life. Emeric also spearheaded the enormously successful Rock 'n Roll Oldies Spectacular last January in the MacArthur auditorium. The list of committees and roles that Emeric has lent her time and expertise to continues to grow as she always finds time to help where needed.

On the district level, Emeric is part of the Executive Committee for Levittown Council of PTAs. Besides being treasurer, she is chairperson for transportation and the Senior Citizens Prom. In the past, she has served as a delegate, the historian and the chairperson for cultural arts and for procedures.

Emeric's generosity is not limited to PTA. For three years she volunteered as a full time teacher aide for the first grade at Seaman Neck School. A Girl Scout Leader for two years, Emeric has also been a member of the Levittown Community Council since it was founded. She has also been a member of Dollars for Scholars since its inception and is their corresponding secretary. Other groups that she participates in are the Citizens Advisory Committee for Budget, LEADD, MacArthur's Music Parents Association, ELVES, SkillsUSA, District Crisis Team and District School to Career Advisory Board.

Employed at the Gerald R. Claps Career and Technical Center as a teaching assistant, Emeric serves her community and its children on many levels. A devoted wife and mother, she asserts that the reason she can do what she does is because of the continued support that she receives from her husband and children. "There are many nights when I'm not at home, doing something for someone other than my own family, and yet they are very understanding in all that I do." Emeric's desire to do whatever she can is because she has always loved working with children. She maintains that "...a smile from a child is one of the greatest rewards anyone can ever receive."

Salk/MacArthur PTSA is proud of its honorees and recognizes the service that they have given to our schools and community. They, along with other Levittown District honorees will be recognized at the annual dinner/dance to be held on May 6.