By TESS SILVERMAN
The Jericho community was saddened to hear the news of the sudden passing of Cantiague Elementary School teacher Ms. Rande Siper on October 5th. During her career in the Jericho School District Ms. Siper taught 1st and 5th grades.
Cantiague 1st grade teacher and long time friend of Ms. Siper, Ms. Rubinberg, described her as being dedicated and energetic. Ms. Rubinberg said Ms. Siper was a model teacher. “She always found the good in each student,” she said.
The two friends shared a favorite quote of “Stay in your lane.” They would say this to each other as a way of reminding each to follow her own path and work hard not only in their career but also in their personal lives as mothers.
In Cantiague, they still talk about Ms. Siper all the time to keep her legacy alive.
Ms. Rubinberg (left) said, “I will miss our daily planning sessions during lunch and walking in and out of each other’s rooms as if it were one room.”
The superintendent of the Jericho School District Mr. Grishman always appreciated Ms. Siper’s positive attitude. He said, “You saw that she loved being a teacher by her face. You would walk into her classroom and her face was always bright and lit up.”
He added, “She was a bright light. If you talked to anyone who knew her as a friend or a colleague they always referred to her as a bright light. I picture her face beaming with a big smile and with her eyes sparkling, and that’s how I will remember her.”
Cantiague principal Dr. Sapienza met Ms. Siper when he was a teacher at Cantiague. They recently reconnected when he came back to Cantiague to be principal this year. He said, “She made the building a place where you wanted to be. She had an infectious smile and a wonderful personality and was opening and welcoming to students and staff.”
The impact that Ms. Siper left on her students was significant and lasting. Jericho High School sophomore Madison L. had Ms. Siper in 5th grade. She said, “She enjoyed her class and always made sure that each of her students had fun. It was very evident that she enjoyed her job, so she influenced me to follow a career path I would be happy in.”
Madison L. (second row up, first student on the left) remembers Ms. Siper as a teacher who always made sure her students had fun while also completing their work to prepare them for their future.
Jericho senior Pranav N. who also had Ms. Siper in 5th grade said, “She was charismatic, loving and caring. She really cared about where all of us ended up and how we felt.”
He added, “She really got me to feel comfortable in my own skin. She was really the catalyst for me in terms of that. No other elementary school teacher really did that for me until Ms. Siper.”
Jericho senior and Ms. Siper’s niece Tracy G. knew Ms. Siper on a more personal level. She said, “She was an amazing person who always wanted her family to love each other and be there for each other.”
When asked about her hopes for her cousin, Ms. Siper’s 16-year-old daughter, Tracy said, “I hope she’ll become more independent from this, and in the future I know she will make her mom proud.”
Superintendent Grishman explained that when Ms. Siper tragically passed, the school had to step in and provide staff and students with support in their grieving process. “It was an event that shook her students, colleagues, friends and family,” he said.
He added, “ They had five psychologists from other buildings in the building to talk to kids and support kids and to support the staff, and we kept that going for several days.”
Dr. Sapienza appreciated the work of the counseling staff. He said, “The great support staff in the building specifically Dr. Eisman, the school psychologist, and all of our staff are concerned with all the students but keeping a special eye on Ms. Siper’s class.”
Ms. Siper was someone who spread positivity to everyone around her. She was indeed a “bright light” in many people’s lives and she will be missed dearly by everyone who she touched. We thank her not only for the education she provided to Jericho students, but for the life lessons she taught them along the way. Her smile will last forever.