Bill Tolley named NY TimesTeacher Who Makes a Difference

ISC Teacher Bill Tolley

New York Times Teacher Who Makes A Difference

In June, ISC History teacher Bill Tolley was named a "New York Times Teacher Who Makes A Difference" by the New York Times Foundation. The award is a corollary of the New York Times College Scholarship, a prestigious 4-year scholarship offered annually by the NY Times Foundation. Each year 6-20 finalists are chosen from a candidate pool of approximately 1500 New York City high school students through a rigorous three-stage process that involves a review of each student's academic record, submission of 4 essays, three letters of recommendation and several interviews. Once awarded the prize, each New York Times Scholar is permitted to designate a "Teacher Who Made a Difference." Those teachers are then screened by the New York Times in turn through several interviews and a review of the teacher's career, and, once approved, they are awarded the title of "Teacher Who Makes a Difference" and generous cash prizes from the New York Times Foundation: one to be donated to the teacher's school, the other for the teacher himself. Bill Tolley was nominated by his former AP World History student, Guillermo Malena, who matriculated at Cornell University this summer and will enjoy a 4-year full scholarship at the Ivy League institution. Since 1999, 230 New York Times Scholars and fewer than 200 New York Times Teachers Who Make a Difference, have been named. Guillermo was one of eight 2011 finalists to receive the award.

Read the New York Times article about the student scholarship winners:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/nyregion/28scholars.html