High school English teacher Lydia Santana has garnered a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from New York City Schools Department of Education. Photo Credit: Lydia Santana

New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) does a fine job of recognizing their most outstanding teachers. This year, they have honored nearly 50 classroom educators who work in public schools within New York. One of these is Lydia Santana, a high school English teacher who has been named a recipient of their 2023-2024 Big Apple Award.

Lydia teaches at Newtown High School in the Queens North High Schools District. She instructs courses in Advanced Placement Language and Composition and Honors English to seniors and juniors. She has taught at the school for the past 14 years. In her classroom, Lydia cultivates a confident, active and engaging instructional environment. According to the NYC DOE, Lydia provides frequent opportunities to elevate student voices, many of whom are English language learners still developing their language skills.

Lydia earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from Queens College in 2009. While there, she was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society.