MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT, DECEMBER 2025

When I was a teenager, I worked in The Candy Corner, a little kiosk lotto and candy
store inside of the old Pathmark shopping mall on 231. It was one of the few places
you could get a Win for Life and a pound of Swedish Fish. Every Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day, the owner would have us all there working– firstly because it was
busy and, secondly, it was the day we received our holiday bonus. In 1999, I was
given an envelope that smelled like jelly rings stuffed with a $20 bill. The thing I
most remember was coming home after my extended family had already arrived for
Christmas Eve. I was never bitter about having missed part of the holiday or
thought much of it, but I do now.

We have chosen a profession where you will never work on a major holiday unless
you choose otherwise. I know that I will never be rushing out of the house on
Thanksgiving morning to get to work or miss seeing my family over the holidays. I
think we’ve become used to it and I, for one, certainly take it for granted.

So I ask that this holiday season, you reflect and celebrate the most valuable aspect
of what our profession offers…time.

Cheers to a happy and healthy holiday season and the opportunity to reconnect, rest
and to spend your time in a way that makes you happy.

We remain grateful and proud to represent and serve the interests of such a
dedicated and talented group of educators.

In Solidarity,

John Savastano, Sean McGevna, Megan Maronski, Roseann Geiger, Jennifer Kelly,
Michelle Perino, Maureen Benson, Kristen Alamia and Bill Schutt