As part of the District’s restructuring plan, the Board of Education is pleased to announce appointments that have been approved for the 2022-2023 school year. Nicholas Corleto, most recently a Chemistry Teacher at Miller Place High School, has been appointed as the District Curriculum Specialist for Math and Science. Evan Curran, a member of our Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School faculty, has been appointed as a Teacher Trainer for Math and Science. Diana Tufaro, who many of you know as the Dean of Students at Miller Place High School, has been appointed High School Assistant Principal. Finally, Matt Nicoletti, a teacher at North Country Road Middle School, will now assume additional responsibilities as a part-time Dean at NCRMS.
These talented individuals have already made significant impacts on Miller Place students and the Miller Place/Sound Beach communities. They bring with them a wealth of experience, great enthusiasm and long-standing relationships with our students and staff that will allow them to seamlessly move into their new roles.
Nicholas Corleto has worked in the Miller Place School District since 2010 as a high school Chemistry Teacher. He is known as a great motivator of students, inspiring them to always strive for new heights in their studies and in life. One of Mr. Corleto’s professional highlights with the district was his development of a groundbreaking scientific computing course with Brookhaven National Lab to introduce students to the fundamental mathematical and computer programming techniques employed by scientists, using programming examples from scientists at Brookhaven National Labs. Mr. Corleto is a veteran who has served as a reservist in the United States Air Force, giving support during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle.
Evan Curran began teaching in Miller Place in 2007. He has been a fourth and fifth grade teacher during his 15 years at Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School and was appointed as the K-5 STEAM Lead Teacher in 2018. Mr. Curran was named a New York State STEM Master Teacher in 2019. During his time at LADSBS, he has served on the School Improvement Team, written elementary math curriculum, and presented multiple local and statewide professional development sessions on the Best Practices for Classroom Instruction. Mr. Curran has served on statewide committees to write content for the New York State Math Assessments, while also serving as a regional scoring leader. Mr. Curran started the Math Olympiad program at LADSBS in 2015, launched the first Miller Place STEAM Night in 2017, and, last year, organized the first Virtual Suffolk County Math Tournament for 30 schools across Suffolk County.
Diana Tufaro has been part of the Miller Place School District for over 14 years, beginning her tenure in the District as an AIS and Special Education Teacher at Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School. After earning her Master’s degree in TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), Ms. Tufaro became the District’s ENL Teacher, serving our ELL population in all four buildings. She was appointed as the Dean of Students at Miller Place High School in 2016, after completing her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. As an administrator, Ms. Tufaro has provided professional development to her colleagues, has served as a member on several school-based committees, and has been an adviser to the National Honor Society, Yearbook and Student Government clubs. Ms. Tufaro is a member of New York State Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, the New York State Association for Bilingual Education and the New York State Association of World Language Administrators.
Matt Nicoletti grew up in the Miller Place community and is a 2007 graduate of Miller Place High School. He studied English Education at SUNY Oneonta and spent his summers at Eastern Suffolk BOCES as a Teacher’s Assistant for students with special needs. Upon graduating college, Mr. Nicoletti returned to Miller Place to assume a temporary district position, which led to his full-time district employment the following year. Over the decade of his career with us, Mr. Nicoletti has earned the respect and admiration of his students and faculty colleagues. This past year, Mr. Nicoletti was a driving force in the fundraising efforts to build the Chris Prendergast Memorial Garden at North Country Road Middle School. A man of many talents and interests, Mr. Nicoletti also directed the MPHS drama production this past year.
For more information about the Miller Place School District, please visit the district’s website at www.millerplace.k12.ny.us. To read more about the great things happening in Miller Place schools, visit www.millerplaceinthemedia.com and ‘like’ our Facebook page.