Max Zimmerman is a Physical Education Teacher and Coach at Williamsville North High School. A teacher for 12 years, Max spent 4 years teaching at Autism Services Inc. in Buffalo and has been at Williamsville North for the last 8 years. North’s JV Football, Unified Bowling, and Varsity Baseball coach, Max wanted to become a teacher because, “I knew I wasn’t the type of guy that was going to be working a desk or sales job.  I enjoy working with kids and liked sports for as long as I can remember and knew it would be a great avenue to get into coaching. I was lucky to know what I wanted to do since I was 16 years old, and fortunate enough to land a job at my alma mater.”

Max also shared, “I love watching kids grow and gain confidence over their 4-year high school career. Helping them find their passion through athletics and fitness, then watching them develop into contributing young adults is cool.” In his free time, Max loves to exercise with his wife Shauna at Revolution Buffalo, take their goldendoodle Holly for walks in Delaware Park, and likes to relax and watch a great movie or TV show. Max attended The College at Brockport for his teaching degree and played baseball for 4 years. While growing up in Buffalo, Max attended Camp Centerland, Hebrew High, and enjoyed being a JCC member as a kid.

Julia Helfman co-teaches 6^th grade in the North Tonawanda School District and is a Special Education teacher at North Tonawanda Intermediate School (NTI). Julia got her start at NTI in September 2020 as a long-term substitute which led to her first full-time position at NTI starting in September 2021. Julia says she wanted to become a teacher because she wanted to help make a difference in children’s lives. “I value student relationships and connecting with students daily, and I wanted to teach Special Education specifically. Students with disabilities always need an advocate, and I wanted to be that person. If you’ve ever been taught by a teacher who loved their subject, you knew that it made the class more enjoyable. Becoming a teacher means making a difference in the lives of children and shaping them into the adults they’ll become with lessons that will last a lifetime.”

She also shared, “Everyone can say they like their job, but I genuinely love waking up in the morning and getting ready to teach. I work with two fabulous co-teachers, and we collaborate on lessons and make the curriculum engaging and fun. We all have a friendship outside of work which is a perk. The students come in every day with a new story or something they want to tell me, and it makes it so worth it for them to share their thoughts with me.”

Outside of teaching, Julia is a swim coach for North Tonawanda Modified Sports and is the assistant coach for JV and Varsity track at North Tonawanda. She loves to travel with friends and family and be active, even if it is a quick workout, hike, or walk outside. Julia attended SUNY Cortland for her undergraduate education and graduated with a dual degree in General Education and Special Education for grades 1-6. She took extra classes through SUNY Cortland to extend her degree for General Education and Special Education for birth to 12^th grade and completed her master’s degree from Buffalo State. Julia says “Growing up I was involved with the Jewish Community. I was part of the Jewish NFTY NEL events for most of my high school career. I was even a board member for a bit. I helped with running events during the year that took place at temples, whether it was for Hanukkah or Purim. Also, a big part of my Jewish identity is attending Jewish sleep-away camp since I was 8 years old. I went to Camp Lakeland and then attended URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) Camp George for 14 years. I was a camper, counselor, assistant unit head, and unit head at camp.”

Liat Notaro is a Reading Specialist in Buffalo Public Schools, teaching students in kindergarten-6^th grade using a multi-sensory intervention reading program called Orton Gillingham. She started her teaching career at age 19 by teaching in a local pre-school, where she worked for 8 years. From there, she taught 3^rd and 4^th grade in a Buffalo Charter School for 5 years. After that, she spent 2 years teaching in a Buffalo private school, then taught 1st grade in the Buffalo Public Schools. Her goal was to become a reading teacher/interventionist and was given the opportunity two years ago. Liat says she wanted to become a teacher since she was a little girl: “I always knew I wanted to become a teacher. My grandmother taught 1st grade for 30 years, my mother was an early childhood director and Jewish educator, and my aunt was a teacher as well. I have a passion for helping children learn to read and showing them the joy stories and literature can bring them.”

Liat’s favorite part about teaching is, “Seeing the happiness on my students’ faces when they work through a challenging word or sentence. The educational growth of my students throughout the year, whether small gains or large, is what keeps me motivated to continue to teach each year.” When she isn’t working, Liat enjoys spending time with her family and visiting local parks and playgrounds, as well as swimming at the outdoor pool at the local JCC. She also enjoys reading and listening to podcasts.

Liat received her bachelor’s in social science from UB and her Master’s in Elementary Education and Post-Master’s in Literacy from Medaille College. As a young child, she attended Camps Centerland and Lakeland.  She was a part of BBYO and attended religious school at the former Temple Beth Am, which is now Congregation Shir Shalom. “As an adult I love seeing my children get to experience a Jewish enrichment through attending pre-school at the former PALS Kadimah and the JCC. It’s a full circle moment to see my daughter enjoy Camp Centerland with my camp friends’ children.”  Liat is married to her high school sweetheart, Joshua, and has two children, Liora (8) and Zev (5). Liat was born in Israel and moved to Buffalo when she was 5 years old. Liat says “We chose to name our children with Israeli/Hebrew names so they would have a connection to Israel and their Jewish heritage. My father and his side of the family still live in Israel. I pray for peace so that one day soon, we can take a family trip there and be reunited with my Israeli family.”