Meet The Judges
 

Mr. Witsch is a veteran teacher of video production and media arts.  He currently serves as Secretary of the LMC Media Board of Directors and is an active producer and interviewer. 

Between 1972-2002 he developed the video program & directed the Television Center at Mamaroneck High School.  He also taught at New York University, Mercy College, Columbia University Teachers College, and Iona College.  He just concluded a long term as co-President of the New York State Media Arts Teachers Association and has served on several boards of educational non-profits as well as local municipal and community organizations. 

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Mr. Witsch has authored articles for “Media & Methods” magazine, and his accomplishments at Mamaroneck H.S. are subjects in two books:  The Student Journalist by Carl R. Levine (Richards Rosen Press, NY, 1982) and The Children of Telstar by Kate Moody, Ed.D. (Center for Understanding Media and Vantage Press, NY, 1999).

Margaret Mealia is an art educator specializing in Photography and the Media Arts. Having received her teaching credentials through SUNY, New Paltz, she has taught elementary and middle school art as well as high school photography, video, broadcast, and media classes.

As a graduate student, she studied Photography with Marcia Goldner, attended RIT’s Photo/Imaging Technology Workshop led by Andrew Davidhazy and his team, the Hallmark Institute of Photography Seminars of Rick Sammon, and Greg Heisler and took many Apple and Adobe sponsored media courses. 

As an educator, she worked on the NYS Elementary Art Standards (ca.1990s), contributed to NYSATA’s supplement for the NYS Art Standards (Media Arts, ca.1996), and served on the initial advisory committee for the current NYS Media Arts Standards. She has written local curriculum and standards, served several years as Teacher-in-charge for the WCSD, and retired after forty years teaching.

Margaret has been a member of NYSMATA since 1989, edited the newsletter, and recently retired as NYSMATA’s Co-President.

Stephen Honicki is a photographic and multi-media artist and media arts educator for over 25 years.  He earned a BFA at the State University of New York at Albany and received his MS in Art Education at the College of Saint Rose.  He retired from Niskayuna Central Schools in June of 2021.

He was instrumental in the growth of the film and photography program at Niskayuna High School.  His work in those areas enabled him to teach, nurture, and mentor students to pursue studies in the media arts at prestigious colleges and universities.  Honicki also created “SHORT CUTS” – an annual in-house film festival showcasing outstanding student films at the historic Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, NY.  He was also a teaching artist at Proctors’ Summer School of the Performing Arts; bringing his knowledge and expertise to create Media Arts programming to their workshop offerings for teenagers across the Capital Region and beyond.

While teaching at Niskayuna High School, he received a fellowship from the Rochester Institute of Technology College of Photographic Science and a grant from the International Center of Photography (New York).  He was also the recipient of Capital Region Community Art$ Grants that helped fund several intergenerational media arts programs with students from the high school and Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital.  Honicki was also the recipient of the prestigious Murray Award for Excellence in Education, and was nominated for the Schenectady County YMCA Educator of the Year.

As a photographer, his intent is for viewers to see his images as a series of dramatic vignettes unfolding before their eyes. Through these photographs, the viewer is able to get a glimpse into various “scenes” of his life - sometimes semi-autobiographical - sometimes "dislocated" stories from individuals in his life in the past and present.

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https://www.stevehphotography.com

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Robyn Talbot earned her BS and MS degrees in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz, but her passion for photography was ignited by an amazing photography teacher her senior year of high school. 

Robyn began teaching in Wappingers CSD in 1999 under the wing of veteran Media Arts guru Margaret Mealia. Since then, she has become the teacher-in-charge of Fine & Performing Arts at John Jay HS, earned a fellowship at RIT, won 2018 region 7 NYSATA HS Art teacher of the year, and was nominated for NYS Art teacher of the year in 2021. Robyn has worked on both district and statewide Media Arts curriculum, taught Media Arts summer camps for MS & HS students in Wappingers and for The Art Effect, but her proudest moments are with her students who have earned hundreds of regional awards and 20 National Scholastic Gold & Silver medals. Over the years she has advised the Media Arts club, Yearbook, and is currently advisor for the Art & Literary magazine, Elysium. 

Robyn is a participating teacher, judge, and statewide co-president of NYSMATA. 

Claudia Abate is a veteran teacher of both the visual and media arts. She studied at Skidmore College where she received her BS in Art and Education and went on to pursue an MA in Art Education at Teachers College in 1988 and an Ed.M  in Instructional Technology in 2000. She has been teaching at Westlake High School since 1988. There she has taught and developed curriculum for Studio Art, Ceramics, Photography, Media and Video, Broadcasting, Design Principles of Engineering, Graphic Design, Digital Design, and Digital Imaging. She was the Curriculum leader for the Arts Department grades 6-12 and worked not only with Visual Arts Department but also the Music Department on curricula. She has been an integral part of the growth of the art department, and STEAM program.  She has students who have been recognized locally and nationally and has seen hundreds of students pursue the arts in college and professionally.   Included in her successes are many students who are now currently working in the arts and in communications in News, Film, and Photography.

WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL

VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS

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BFA Virginia Commonwealth University, VA
MFA CUNY Lehman University, NY

"You don't take a photograph, you make it"

- Ansel Adams 

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Photography has always been a passion of mine. Photography is so much more than taking a photo. It's about capturing the light, subject, and emotion while looking through the viewfinder! As a photographer, I love to play with natural light in environmental photography. 

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https://laurenannephotography914.weebly.com/

Putnam Valley High School

Visual Arts Teacher

I have 23 Years of experience teaching Art. Over the years I have taught many courses and media. I specialize in Media Arts and Photography, but also consistently teach Drawing & Painting. For the last three years I have also been teaching International Baccalaureate Visual Arts as well. In 2013 I was recognized as NYSATA Region 7 Art Educator of the year: High School Division. I enjoy painting, photography and making cards in my spare time.

Pine Bush Central School

Visual Arts Educator

Diane Trad is an art educator and department chairperson at Pine Bush Central School.   She has 20 years teaching experience, and currently teaches College Digital Photography and Media Arts I & II. She earned her B.F.A in Photography from the School of Visual Arts and a Masters in Education from SUNY New Paltz. She is married to an art teacher and has two beautiful, creative sons in elementary school who also love art.  This is Pine Bush’s first year participating and her first time as a judge.  She is excited to view all the artworks and admire the young talent in our region.

John Jay High School

Visual and Media Arts Educator

Toni-Marie Catucc is  a Visual/Media Arts Educator at John Jay Senior High School in Hopewell Junction for 11 years. My specialty is in photography and digital art. I am also the advisor for the Patriot Yearbook.