![The image shows a group of people, including an older man and woman, standing together and holding an award. In the background, there appears to be a presentation or display on a screen.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1759844118/zurich/jupemq1lcq22raztaolp/4_22.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1759844118/zurich/jupemq1lcq22raztaolp/4_22.png","width":500}])
Last night, members of the school community gathered to celebrate MaryAnn Canzanella Picone, this year’s recipient of the John Mattern Alumni Award.
MaryAnn, who began teaching at ZIS (then AISZ) in 1992, inspired generations of students with her profound passion for language, literature, and learning over the course of more than three decades. She was honored with an engraved plate presented by the John Mattern Alumni Award Committee: Elsa Hernández‑Donohue (Director), Suzanne Rapetti‑Hunsicker (Class of 1982), Ceyda Avunduk (Class of 2001), and Finn Borg (Class of 1974).
In her remarks, MaryAnn spoke about the importance of being a lifelong learner and shared memorable stories from her time at ZIS.
We are especially grateful to Ceyda and Emma Svensson, Class of 2013, for their heartfelt tributes, as well as to all the alumni who joined us. The evening was a beautiful reminder of the lasting impact an educator can have on their students and school community.
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