Dr. Robert Feirsen At the seventh annual Pineapple Ball at the Garden City Hotel, Friday evening, May 1, the Garden City Chamber of Commerce will proudly present to Dr. Robert Feirsen, Superintendent of the Garden City Public Schools, the coveted "Community Achievement Award." Established in 1974, this recognition commemorates outstanding professionalism and major contributions to the Village of Garden City and beyond through one's position.

During Dr. Feiersen's tenure, the school district has continued and extended its tradition of accomplishment in academics, the arts and athletics, including this year's recognition of the Middle School as a United States Department of Education "School of Excellence." In addition to his role as chief executive officer of the school district, Dr. Feirsen has been extensively involved in the life of the Garden City community. He has served as a Chamber of Commerce director, a member of the Adelphi University Ruth S. Ammon School of Education Advisory Board and a member of the Garden City Community Council on Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention. In connection with this latter roll, he has promoted school district community collaboration on parent-teacher-student surveys about substance abuse, assisted with the presentation of parent workshops and participated in collaborative efforts to ensure the safety of children and youth.

Working with the Clergy Fellowship, Dr. Feirsen has organized training for members of the clergy on the topics of grief counseling and addressing emotional trauma and participated in annual meetings to identify areas of common interest.

Each year, Dr. Feirsen offers a presentation to the realtors of Garden City to provide information about the state of the school district and to learn about the questions asked by prospective new residents of the Village. Dr. Feirsen also makes the rounds of Garden City's property owners' associations each spring to explain the school budget and address residents' questions.

Dr. Feirsen was recently selected by the Adelphi chapter of Phi Delta Kappa (a professional organization of educators) as the first honoree in recognition of his contributions to the school community. Dr. Feirsen is an honorary life member of PTA; he has also been a PTA Founder's Day honoree and an Executive Board member of Nassau District PTA.

Dr. Feirsen previously served as Deputy Superintendent in the Manhasset Public Schools and has been an elementary and middle school principal. His academic preparation includes a B.A. and M.A. in History from SUNY Stony Brook, an M.S. in Special Education from Fordham University, a post-masters professional diploma in administration and supervision from Queens College, and a doctorate in school administration and supervision from Fordham.

Dr. Feirsen has served as an adjunct at both Adelphi and Fordham Universities and currently teaches an on-line graduate course at SUNY Stony Brook. He has published articles in several academic journals and is the co-author of "How to Get the Teaching Job You Want," a guide to the job search process in education. Dr. Feirsen has also been a presenter at national, statewide and regional conferences. He lives in New Hyde Park with his wife, JoAnne, and two daughters, Nicole and Stephanie.

Dr. Feirsen will be presented at the Pineapple Ball by Kenneth Monaghan, a past president of the Garden City Board of Education and a "Citizen of the Year" honoree in 1999. The Chamber acknowledges with appreciation sponsors of the 2009 Pineapple Ball: Albanese Organization, Inc. and the Garden City Hotel (Gold); Quebecor World (Silver); Arman, Costa & Ricciardi CPAs, P.C.; Coach Realtors, Community National Bank, New York Racing Association, Inc. and SMPL Technologies (Leadership); also, Bee Ready, Fishbein Hatter & Donovan, Feldis Florists, Jones and Jones, Law Offices of Peter J. Tomao, and Pittoni, Bonchonsky & Zaino, LLP (Friend of the Chamber).

For reservations, sponsorship or Journal ad information, please call Tracey Gittere at Legendary Events (516.222.0550) or visit the Chamber website at www.GardenCityChambser.org.