The English department operates under the philosophy that every Preston student should be made aware of the human condition and should develop the ability to make positive moral choices through exposure to great literature. In that discovery process, our students are encouraged to listen, think, speak, and write critically about important issues raised by literature.
Preston women will read, write and communicate effectively; think critically; appreciate the aesthetic in literature and non-fiction; and grow as lifelong learners. To achieve those goals, they will participate in small and large group discussions of literature and non-fiction that foster recognition of cultural and ethnic diversity and activate thoughtful empathy. Our students will develop a positive self-concept and manifest personal responsibility through critical reading and writing skills. We enable our students to make connections between literary experiences and issues that touch their personal lives. We seek to motivate our students to read not just for information, but also for enjoyment now and in the future.
- BA - English - Pace University (2004)
- Post-Graduate - MA English - Hunter College (2007)
Ms. Esposito first wrote for small-scale music magazines to put herself through college, but then soon realized that she enjoyed teaching more. After instructing writing in the CUNY system, and once she taught for a few years in the New York City Department of Education, she found Preston High School where she's worked since 2008. From a pedagogical view, Ms. Esposito believes that kids learn best when they actively engage themselves---whether that involves actually doing the topics at hand, connecting concepts to their real world, or collaborating with peers. Besides this philosophy, though, she also knows that to effectively learn, one must broaden and deepen her experiences. That idea explains why she tries teaching outside her comfort zone, often instructing unexpected topics like Food Justice to teens at Preston and The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.
- MS - MS Education - Pace University
- BA - English - New York University (1988)
Ms. Forlini was born and raised in the Bronx and received her B.A. in English from N.Y.U. and her Masters of Science in Teaching from Pace University. She teaches Advanced Placement English Literature & Composition to seniors and American Literature to juniors. She also created the senior elective in Film History.
She serves as Faculty Advisor for Preston’s chapter of the National English Honor Society.
“I think that we’re beginning to remember that the first poets didn’t come out of a classroom, that poetry began when somebody walked off of a savanna or out of a cave and looked up at the sky with wonder and said, “Ahhh.” That was the first poem.” – Lucille Clifton
- BA - BA English - St. Thomas Aquinas College (2011)
- MS - MS Education in Literacy - St. Thomas Aquinas College (2013)
Andrea Forlini has a Bachelor's degree in English with Adolescent Certification, and a Master's degree in Literacy grades 5-12, both from St. Thomas Aquinas College. Prior to coming to Preston, she worked across the Hudson River in Livingston Manor, Ellenville, and Newburgh.
She has taught English at all four grade levels at Preston, as well as the freshman courses Communications and Reading Strategies.
When not at Preston, Andrea still enjoys learning on her own through reading just about anything she can get her hands on, and indulging in superhero and fantasy movies whenever she can.
- BA or BS Degree - Adolescent Education: Italian - Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus (2014)
- MS - Education - SUNY- ONEONTA (2022)
Stephanie Mozzone studied Secondary Education in Italian and Spanish at Long Island University: CW Post. She has taught for the past 7 years on Long Island and in Westchester. Though this is her first year teaching at Preston High School, she is a proud Preston alumna.
“Un hombre solo tiene derecho de mirar a otro hacia abajo cuando tiene que ayudarlo a levantarse.” (A man must only have the right to look down upon another when he has to help them up.) — Gabriel García Márquez
- BA - Adolescent Education - Iona College (2021)
- MA - Adolescent/Special Education - Mount Saint Vincent (2022)
Preston has partnered with Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (in Tarrytown, NY), to provide a Food Education course that teaches students how to source, prepare, and cook healthy, sustainable meals. The course also explores the history behind the American food system, as the class explores ancient agricultural practices, modern industrial methods, and even current, more mindful aspects of the slow food movement. So far, students have already visited Stone Barns to farm and cook; within Preston itself, the class has also made macaroni and cheese (a conventional and vegan version), fresh (home-made) pasta, stew, and Tlayudas—all to punctuate ideas related to food and culture, history, and power.
