On Tuesday, June 13, English teacher Brian Sweeney became the first teacher from Townsend Harris to be given the prestigious FLAG award for Teaching Excellence. This award is intended to honor exceptional NYC public school teachers who have taken an innovative approach to learning and, through creativity and commitment, inspire students both inside and outside the classroom. Each year this award is bestowed on only one teacher from each borough and includes a $25,000 grand-prize check along with an extra $10,000 to design an arts-based initiative at the school. Mr. Sweeney was unaware he had won the award until receiving it during this year’s Keepers Day event. 

The FLAG award, established by Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, entails a lengthy consideration process: after receiving a nomination by a student, parent, administrator, or teacher, the candidate then fills out written questions and shares references. Afterwards, they may be called for an interview or have their classes observed. Semi-finalists are announced in February, and one overall winner for each borough in June. 

“It is so often we have wonderful teachers who are doing great work and are underappreciated,” Laura Twersky, the co-president of the FLAG award, said. “This award is just really to recognize and celebrate amazing public school teachers in New York City.”

School Librarian Arlene Laverde, who collaborates with Mr. Sweeney to lead the THHS Reading Initiative, nominated him for the award. “He’s really one of the best teachers I’ve ever seen. He is one of the best colleagues I’ve ever worked with. He’s kind, he knows what he’s doing, [and] he’s hardworking,” Ms. Laverde, who was also initially unaware of Mr. Sweeney’s win, said. When writing her nomination, she said she couldn’t include all that she wanted, “because he’s done so much. I focused on what he does for the school, what he gets for his colleagues. He’s always amplifying those around him.” 

Assistant Principal of Guidance Veronica York was among the select few administrators who knew about Mr. Sweeney’s grand-prize winner status before it was announced to him. “The effort and creativity that he puts forth to support student learning is to be admired,” Ms. York said.

The administrators in the loop decided that Keepers Day, a carnival event run by Mr. Sweeney, would be the prime opportunity to surprise him with the award. Mr. Sweeney’s family, past alumni, and Department of Education representatives were all invited to come support him. 

After Mr. Sweeney received the honor, The Classic conducted an interview with him to gauge his emotions and future plans for the award. “I wasn’t expecting it that day. I wasn’t expecting it really at all,” he said. 

Dr. Lenneen Gibson, the Deputy Superintendent for Queens North High Schools, said she attended the event“to honor Mr. Sweeney.” 

“I’ve seen him teach before—he’s awesome, he’s amazing,” she said. “[It’s clear] how passionate he is about his craft and his students and making sure they meet their fullest potential. He just goes above and beyond.” 

At about 2:45 p.m., midway through the Keepers Day awards ceremony, FLAG Co-Presidents Ms. Twersky and Risa Daniels came onstage to present the $25,000 prize, in the form of a gigantic check. The audience gave Mr. Sweeney a standing ovation. 

“If I’m being recognized for anything, I think it’s just that I can help plan out a lot of things. In a weird way I think that’s what a teacher’s job really is. You organize time. It’s like you’re a party planner, but the people who show up are the important part, they make the party,” Mr. Sweeney said. “I’m very lucky because every time we plan something great, you all—students, teachers, everybody involved—do brilliant amazing things that make those things worthwhile.” 

While Mr. Sweeney is not yet sure of what he will do with the $25,000 grand prize (aside from possibly taking his family to Legoland at his youngest son’s request), he shared a potential plan for the $10,000 arts-based grant. “Since Ms. Laverde was the reason I got the award,” he said, “I figured we would fund the Reading Initiative for another year, and then I would give the remainder to the Starling Press. So about $7,000 to the Starling Press and $3,000 to the Reading Initiative.”

Ms. Laverde said, “Students have so many ideas and are capable of doing so many things, and Mr. Sweeney gives you the chance to succeed. And if you don’t succeed, he then mentors you so you do succeed.” 

Finally, we, the writers of this piece and the outgoing editors-in-chief of The Classic, would like to share some thoughts. The Classic is student-run, which means we do not need Mr. Sweeney’s final approval to publish an article, so we published this without seeking his customary advice because we knew he’d advise us against departing from traditional news article standards and ending with our own opinions. As our final co-written article for The Classic, we thought this was the right time to bend the rules for a special case.

We would like to thank Mr. Sweeney for all that he does and offer our congratulations. As his selflessness and poise on stage after being given the award suggest, Mr. Sweeney deserves all the credit and recognition he receives and so much more. He takes on an incalculable number of responsibilities for the school, constantly coordinating unique school events like the Reading Initiative and Keepers Day, organizing overnight trips, and making great strides teaching in the classroom with classes and experiences such as the Humanities Symposium and the journalism elective. 

Mr. Sweeney far exceeds the typical 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. school hours and is devoted to bettering our school community. While Mr. Sweeney is known for a myriad of things he does for the school, none are perhaps quite as known as his advisory role to this newspaper. Since he adopted the job more than 10 years ago, The Classic has flourished to new heights and is now one of the most active and accomplished extracurriculars in THHS and New York City. Although we are a student-run, independent publication, Mr. Sweeney’s relentless commitment and guidance to the student newspaper has been instrumental to us. As we pass down our roles as editors and begin to embark on our own new journeys, we will forever be grateful to him for not only inspiring us as student journalists, but changing us as people. We are glad to know that his legacy at Townsend Harris will live on as he continues to educate and nurture students. 

We thank Mr. Sweeney for being an exceptionally positive presence in his school community and in our own personal lives. As we end our term as editors-in-chief, we can confidently say that no one is more deserving of this honor.