LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring David Turk upon the occasion of his
designation by the Association of Orthodox Jewish Teachers as the recip-
ient of its Teacher of the Year Award on April 25, 2010

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend illustrious individuals of distinguished purpose whose lives
have been committed to the pursuit of excellence in the education of the
youth of the Empire State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to
commend David Turk upon the occasion of his designation by the Associ-
ation of Orthodox Jewish Teachers of the New York City Public Schools as
the recipient of its Teacher of the Year Award; and
WHEREAS, David Turk, Teacher and Co-leader of the Akiva Jewish Culture
Club, James Madison High School, will be honored at the organization's
40th Annual Luncheon, to be held at The Renaissance in Brooklyn, New
York, on Sunday, April 25, 2010; and
WHEREAS, David Turk began his teaching career as a New York City
Teaching Fellow in 2003; when his two year fellowship ended, he could
not imagine doing anything else; and
WHEREAS, His grandmother, parents, and many aunts and uncles have all
taught in the public school system and, now in his seventh year of
teaching social studies at James Madison High School in Brooklyn, David
Turk is proudly continuing a family tradition; and
WHEREAS, After his first semester, he was asked by his colleague,
Barry Fingerhut, to join him as faculty advisory of the school's Akiva
Jewish Culture Club; together with Nechama Kamalhar of the National
Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY), they create an environment where
students can gather after school to enjoy their Jewish culture; and
WHEREAS, Meeting weekly, the Akiva Club is a place for fun activities,
such as challah making and games, discussions of Jewish values, and a
place where students can get together with other Jewish young people to
just hang out; many of its members have gone on to make that culture a
stronger part of their lives, whether by enhancing the Shabbos experi-
ence of their families or in the colleges they choose to attend; and
WHEREAS, In addition to the Akiva Club, David Turk has been involved
in a variety of other activities at James Madison; he was faculty advi-
sor for an after-school community service club which visited nursing
homes, helped organize clothing drives and toy drives, and participated
in the community's annual Breast Cancer and AIDS Walks; and
WHEREAS, David Turk has, in addition, been a mentor for student teach-
ers; he has worked with other teachers and administrators as a member of
his school-based inquiry team to help increase academic performance and
this year, he also tutored English as a Second Language (ESL) students
after school to help them adjust to the challenges of learning social
studies in a foreign language; and
WHEREAS, David Turk's passion for involvement isn't limited to the
doors of his school; he is very active in his synagogue where he has
organized events to welcome new members to the synagogue; he partic-
ipates in the young couples' minyan on Shabbos morning; finds time to
attend the Rabbi's class every week; and together with his wife Jacque-
line, who is proud to be a part of his life and rejoices in his many
achievements, he delivers packages of food to needy families twice a
month; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such accomplishment are brought to our attention it is appropri-

ate to publicly proclaim and commend them for the edification and
emulation of others; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor David Turk upon the occasion of his designation as the recipient
of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Teachers' Teacher of the Year
Award on April 25, 2010; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to David Turk.