North Merrick speech pathologist honored by Nassau BOCES

Amanda Hocevar, a speech and language pathologist from the North Merrick School District, was recognized by Nassau BOCES and the Nassau Association of School Technologists as a pioneering educator who has contributed significantly to the advancement of technology in education. Hocevar was honored at the fifth annual Nassau Association of School Technologists Award Recipient awards ceremony, held at the Nassau BOCES Brookville Outdoor and Environmental Education Center.  

In all of her roles as an educator, Hovecar works to reinvent the learning experience to inspire and promote innovation. She is not only a speech and language pathologist, she is also a building and district leader, a Student Council advisor, the Extended School Year Director, Parent University Co-Chair, and Vice President of Programming for the special education PTA. 

Staff members and parents alike know that when Hocevar is in charge of an event, it will be engaging, well- received, and everyone will walk away having been a part of a technology-inspired activity that encourages problem-solving and critical thinking. At the most recent Association of Suffolk Supervisors for Educational Technologies Conference, Hocevar presented many of her ideas for technology integration to empower student learning and establish a positive sense of community in our schools. 

“Amanda Hocevar is passionate about empowering children to reach their fullest potential,” said her award nominator Christine Talbot. “She is an inspiration, and we are very lucky to have her in North Merrick.” 

The NASTAR awards were created by the Nassau BOCES to honor educators for their innovation, leadership and support of technology initiatives in their school districts. Each recipient is selected by their district based on this criterion.

This year, a total of 27 Nassau County educators were acknowledged for their achievements in a ceremony conducted by Nassau BOCES NASTECH and Data Privacy and Security Service Supervisor Laura Pollak and Program Specialist Barbara Deal.