Three deserving individuals were honored on Tuesday night with New York PTA Honorary Life Membership Awards from the West Irondequoit Central PTSA. The highest honor a PTA can bestow was given to Mrs. Kathryn Copeland, Mr. Lou DiCesare and Mrs. Monica Suter. Honorary Life awards are given to people who care about children and have made their caring count by their devoted service to children and youth. Congratulations to each honoree and thank you for your dedication to our district and community! Read more below!

KATHRYN COPELAND
Mrs. Copeland is a former WICPTSA President (two years), PTA Representative for Rogers Middle School and Southlawn elementary (5-plus years) and has served on the WICSD Board of Education for the past year.

Prior to her board service, she served on a few committees, including the district’s Strategic Plan and K-4 Report Card committees, and was an Odyssey of the Mind coach. Mrs. Copeland also serves on the Civic Design team for the Parent Leadership Training Institute. “Kate Copeland is a powerful example of what it means to make your caring count,” said WICPTSA President, Jim Payne. “She listens. She builds. She leads. Most importantly, she lifts others up with her.”

A native of Penfield, she and her husband, David, have two children who attend Rogers Middle School and Southlawn elementary.

LOU DiCESARE
Mr. DiCesare has taught business at Irondequoit High School for 29 years and over the last two decades turned what was a dormant Irondequoit DECA Club into a powerhouse. IHS DECA students annually earn high honors at the state level and earn trips to the DECA World Conference. Most important: Mr. DiCesare has helped students find their path or passion for life after high school.

“Mr. DiCesare, your legacy is not just in the work you’ve done, but the way you have done it,” IHS junior Sara Levesque said. “You have done it with heart and a true sense of purpose. You’ve inspired us to not just do better, but to be better. On behalf of all the students you’ve taught, all the DECA members you have led and the entire IHS community, THANK YOU!”

Mr. DiCesare worked in marketing before coming to IHS and find his own passion as a teacher. For the past 14 years, the IHS Business Department has been recognized nationally for its excellence in teaching financial literacy. For the past two, IHS has been named Top 10 nationally among mid-sized schools.

A native of East Rochester, Mr. DiCesare and his wife, Leslie, are former longtime Irondequoit residents. Their two sons, Benjamin and Christopher, are both IHS graduates.

MONICA SUTER
For the past 26 years, Mrs. Suter has handled the annual auditing and tax filing for the WICPTSA (covering all schools). She has done it professionally, without charging our PTA and without fanfare – similar to how she wanted to handle the Honorary Life Award. She politely declined to attend, which is symbolic because helping the WICPTA has never been about accolades for her. It has been about helping our PTA so it can allocate funds to help students, families and our district. She is a longtime Irondequoit resident and her children are IHS graduates. “I am truly touched by this gesture,” she wrote in an email to PTA organizers.