Dr. Maria Thompson and John Sebalos Honored with Awards

The Pelham Public Schools is thrilled to share that Dr. Maria Thompson, Director of Humanities, and John Sebalos, Director of Technology, were both recently honored with prestigious awards for their work in advancing the strategic goals of our district and supporting our students, faculty and staff.

Dr. Thompson was named Outstanding Social Studies Supervisor by the New York State Council for the Social Studies. This award is given to a supervisor/chairperson who has demonstrated outstanding social studies supervision at the elementary and/or secondary level.  Specifically, the criteria states that, “the person nominated has remained abreast of new developments in social studies and incorporated innovative and effective supervisory techniques. The nominee will display a commitment to excellence in social studies education and foster professional growth.”

Dr. Thompson has been a fixture in Pelham for over two decades, having served as a social studies teacher and supervisor of social studies before transitioning to her current role. She has been instrumental in guiding both the social studies and English departments. Over the past several years, she has worked diligently to ensure teachers are equipped with best practices and the resources to effectively teach and manage current events in a way that is unbiased and educational. She was also responsible for writing a grant to the Pelham Education Foundation to digitize and catalog the district’s historical records, making them available to teachers and students to be used as primary source documents and was also a key member of the team who planned the Centennial Celebration for Pelham Memorial High School. 

Mr. Sebalos received the 2023 Lower Hudson Regional Information Center (LHRIC) TELL (Transforming Education through Leadership and Learning) Award for Outstanding Innovative Leader. TELL Award winners are nominated by their peers for their outstanding accomplishments in innovation, and are recognized by LHRIC leadership through a selection and review process.

Since 2018, when Mr. Sebalos joined the Pelham Public Schools, he has worked conscientiously to create a sustainable and forward thinking technology program. Among his many accomplishments are expanding the District’s 1:1 Chromebook program to all grades, seamlessly integrating instructional technology into classrooms, and leading a Digital citizenship and Fluency initiative across the District. He has also been a leader in designing the technology integration for the new Hutchinson School and assisting with the roll out of innovative learning spaces across the District. 

“Dr. Thompson and Mr. Sebalos are two of the finest administrators I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” Dr. Champ said. “I’m so incredibly proud that both have been recognized for their efforts to lead our District and equip our teachers with the tools they need to successfully provide our students with the education they deserve. We are truly blessed to have such talented and committed administrators leading our district each and every day!”