Business Teacher Adam Parente Receives 2026 LISTEMELA Star Award

On May 14, 2026 Our Technology Education and Business Teacher, Mr. Adam Parente was awarded one of the 2026 LISTEMELA Star Awards at their annual luncheon ceremony. 

Mr. Parente has done so much for our district in a short amount of time, he has become the advisor of our award-winning DECA club, resurrected our Robotics club after almost a decade of it being dormant, and also helped many of our clubs fundraise through our mobile SchoolStore. He has reinvigorated our CTE curriculum, particularly Technology Education and Business, with his expertise in both and he offers a unique perspective. 

Mr. Parente’s efforts have not only been recognized locally, also received the ITEEA Donald Malley Spirit of Excellence National Award at ITEEA 2026 Conference in Virginia Beach in March for his LED and Arduino Game Project. Additionally, he was recently awarded the MakerBot Gives Back Grant which provides the school with a full MakerBot Sketch Sprint 3D printing bundle. The grant was created to support educators and schools that are working to bring hands-on learning into classrooms with limited access to advanced technology. 

Mr. Parente stated, “I am honored to receive the LISTEMELA STEM Star Award. To me, STEM education is about providing students with opportunities to be creative, innovative, and solve real world problems. My technology classes are a space where students can experience project based learning everyday, as at the heart of technology education is learning through making and doing. Through projects involving 3D printing, building VEX robotics, flying drones, and solving engineering challenges, I strive to provide students with experiences that are both engaging and meaningful. These activities allow students to see they are capable of solving problems, and that mistakes are a natural and important part of the learning process. The most rewarding part of teaching technology education is seeing students make connections with the material during the projects and seeing those 'aha' moments when everything clicks.”  

Lastly, Mr. Parente is a positive model for all of the students, inspiring them to think “outside of the box”. It’s clear that Mr. Parente not only embodies the core principles of LISETEMELA, he continues to push the STEM field forward, inspiring the future of STEM for all of his students. We are so proud of Mr. Parente and we can’t wait to see what Mr. Parente does throughout his career; he’s already off to an amazing start.  

LISTEMELA is a professional organization of STEM leaders dedicated to improving Long Island's science education through professional development and advocacy. By hosting workshops and engaging with government agencies, they ensure educators stay informed and their interests are represented at local and national levels.