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North Colonie Staff Spotlight

An image of Blue Creek ENL Teacher Lisa Coons with information about her service to North Colonie Central School District.

Mrs. Coons is an Altamont native and Guilderland graduate who has been an ENL (English as a New Language) teacher in NCCSD for 25 years. Her love of teaching was sparked by a semester abroad in Japan her junior year of college, when she tutored junior high school students, teaching them English. Now, she helps students from around the world not only learn English, but also to feel welcome at Blue Creek. In her free time, Mrs. Coons like to read, hike, spend time with her children and travel.

Most Rewarding Part of Your Job: “I would say the most rewarding part of my job is being a part of my families’ journeys. Once they arrive at Blue Creek, who knows what they’ve been through to get here. A lot of my families come directly from their native country and I can only imagine the obstacles they’ve overcome and the challenges they’ve faced. So, I do see it as a privilege to be in this position where I am one of the first faces that welcome them.”

An image of Assistant Director of Transportation Amanda Cutter and information about her service to North Colonie Central School District.

Mrs. Amanda Cutter is originally from Niskayuna and spent 16 years in the Niskayuna CSD transportation department before joining North Colonie. Originally a stay-at-home mom to three children, she initially enjoyed working in transportation because she could work during school hours and still be home with her kids and have summers off! In her free time, Mrs. Cutter enjoys baking and crafting. In fact, she has made two of her three kids’ wedding cakes and is making her daughter’s wedding cake when she gets married in March! 

Most Rewarding Part of Your Job: Cutter was quick to cite the people she works with as being one of the best parts of her job. But she also appreciates the district as a whole, saying “I feel like every staff member matters at North Colonie.”

An image of Shaker Middle School Reading Specialist Johanna Denniston and information about her service to North Colonie.

Mrs. Johanna Denniston knew she wanted to be a teacher since the third grade. She grew up in Clifton Park and graduated from Shenendehowa, where she also began her teaching career after college. Life took her to Boston and then Omaha, but she returned home to the Capital Region after having her two children. Denniston started at NCCSD three years ago, first at Southgate and then onto SMS. In her free time, Denniston enjoys “reading about reading.” She has enjoyed her time at the district, saying that the people are her favorite part of the experience. 

Most Rewarding Part of Your Job: “It’s actually really rewarding when kids don’t need to come to reading anymore. The kids are just so proud of themselves. It’s great just seeing that little light go off in their head, when they can understand and do things they couldn’t before.”

An image of Shaker High School Counselor Arnel Joyner and information on his service to North Colonie Central School District.

Mr. Joyner is a long-time counselor and track and field coach at SHS. An Albany native, Joyner graduated from Guilderland CSD and went on to attend SUNY Geneseo for his undergraduate degree in psychology. After completing his graduate studies at Russell Sage, he started at NCCSD as the coordinator for the Personal Improvement Program for students at risk of not graduating. Joyner served as a counselor in the program for 23 years before transitioning into his current role. He has two kids and loves sports, especially football for which he is involved in a number of fantasy leagues. 

Most Rewarding Part of Your Job: “Occasionally, when I’m out in the community and someone comes up and says, ‘Hey Mr. Joyner, that thing you told me way back when I was a student and ever since I remembered that and it helped me.’ That’s kind of rewarding and that happens a lot actually. That would be the best thing, running into people you see down the road that you’ve had some impact or influence in their life and you didn’t know you did.”