By JUDY L. RANDALL  STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

George Anthony: Prized for giving teens a purpose

Veteran teacher is a dynamic role model, giving youngsters sage advice and showing them that choices matter

By JUDY L. RANDALL
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- All other accolades aside, the sweetest testimonial any teacher can receive is from his students.
So while Susan E. Wagner High School teacher George Anthony said he is both thrilled and grateful to have been named this year's recipient of the Excellence in Education Awards, the admiration he's earned from the teens he works with each day means just as much.
"He gave me choices, he gave me a purpose, he gave me priceless knowledge," said Susan Wagner senior Henry Martinez. "He gave me a positive role model."

"His drive, his dedication to what he teaches just spreads," said junior Francine Ndjatou.
"He is like a father figure to me," said junior Austin Brooks.
The 2007 Excellence in Education Awards program is presented by Staten Island Academy in cooperation with the Staten Island Advance and the borough's business community.
Actually, the word "teacher" doesn't begin to describe Anthony, 48, who was born in Brooklyn, raised in Westerleigh and now lives in New Jersey with his wife and two young children.
Yes, he teaches psychology and sociology at Susan Wagner. But he is also a trained conflict resolution/peace educator. He also teaches and mentors teens in peer mediation and has received rave notices for his student-centered workshop presentations on a variety of topics, including use of the "N" word.
Videos of the workshops, like another celebrated one on bullying, have been distributed to organizations around the world.
Anthony likens the curriculum he's developed for students to taking them on a "two-year journey where they are taught skills in conflict management, anti-bias education and leadership presentation."
Most recently, he accompanied his students from the school's Peer Mediation Life Center to the United Nations for a special presentation of "The Space Between," an original work about ethnic and religious conflicts in families and the global community.

He and his students called the experience profound.