By Kevin McLaughlin
Our very own Dr. Weiselberg (frequently known as Dr. W) has been named an Outstanding Teacher of American History by the New York State Organization of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Judges unanimously awarded Dr. W the highest total points available to this year’s winner.
Dr. W, who graduated from IHS (class of ’88), attended Alfred University as well as Oregon University. He began teaching at IHS in 2000. He currently teaches American Studies, AP European History, AP Psychology, Philosophy, and Current Events. There is no doubt that Dr. W has helped many IHS students in the past 20 years.
He is also very involved in social studies organizations outside of school, such as Revolutionary Westchester 250. Revolutionary Westchester 250 is a group that builds awareness and excitement for the events, places, and people of the Revolutionary War period in Westchester County.
Dr. W technically won two awards because he won both the regional award which includes the Rivertowns, as well as the statewide award. Typically, the state invites the recipients to a dinner before picking the New York state winner. Because of COVID-19, Dr. W found out about his achievements in August, and there was no award dinner.
When asked about who inspired him throughout the process of wanting to become a teacher, Dr. W explained how Dr. Scott Mosenthal (former teacher and principal at Irvington) was one of his biggest role models.
He said, “That was the first English class I was ever excited for in high school, and it made me appreciate him.”
“When I first came back to Irvington to teach, he was my boss and that gave me motivation to teach like Dr. Mosenthal did, with a purpose of giving the students enjoyment.”
Another person he cited as a role model was Mr. Thom Johnson, a former art teacher at IHS. Dr. W said Mr. Johnson taught him how to be a human being, and that’s what he remembered from that class the most.
This December, Dr. W will be competing with the rest of the country for the national award. He does not know many details about the competition yet; however, he expects to be up against a teacher from every state.
