Judith L. DeCaprio
A graduate of West Haven High School, Judy DeCaprio received both her undergraduate and master's degrees from Southern Connecticut State University (1961 and 1971, respectively) and came to Branford in 1961 where she taught fourth grade at Pine Orchard School. After a hiatus for child rearing (she and husband John have four children-John, Jeffrey, Jenine, and Joseph-and now eight grandchildren.), Judy returned to the classroom in 1978 as a special education teacher at Branford Intermediate School. Beginning in 1981 and continuing until her retirement in 2001, she taught social studies and American history on the eighth-grade team with Sandra Baldwin and Nancy Beccia. She also chaired the history department from 1996 to 2001.
Judy tried to reach and stretch all her students and simply demanded each student's best The motto "Soar with the eagles or flop-like a turkey" reminded students of her expectations: Every student is capable of learning and only one's best efforts are acceptable. Her back ground in special education led her to ensure that all her students would achieve success at their level. Recognizing students' learning differences, she might assign primary-source work to her more gifted students and collages and newspaper reading to others. She also drew on students' interests to make learning come alive. One notable project around 1990 drew on the Billy Joel hit "We Didn't Start the Fire." Some students were assigned to research every historical reference in the lyrics while others worked on collages to illustrate them. She also used political cartoons as a teaching strategy-first having students analyze clippings found in newspapers and magazines and then having them create their own.
Current events was an important emphasis in Judy DeCaprio's classes, and she was always encouraging students to "go beyond the headlines." She urged them to form their own opinions about current events and to back up their opinions with facts. She also introduced students to formal debating, teaching them how to argue either side of an issue.
An interdisciplinary team was an ideal teaching milieu for Judy, who was a natural collaborator. She and English teacher Nancy Beccia worked together on skills for developing a research paper, from choosing a topic and outlining to developing and supporting the thesis. One former student recalls freezing at the thought of writing a graduate school research thesis using Russian language sources. The outcome was successful, and the student writes, "Ten years after leaving the middle school, my outline and index cards were new on my laptop, but there I was using Mrs. DeCaprio's method to do my paper." Judy also collaborated with math teacher Sandra Baldwin on units such as survival on a deserted island and a simulation of a new immigrant arriving at Ellis Island.
Judy received the Faculty Excellence Award in 1984 and the Celebration of Excellence in 1990 and was honored by the Walsh Class of 1994 with their yearbook dedication. She is listed in Who's Who in Education and was a BEST mentor and cooperating teacher. A member of the Branford Education Association Executive Board from 1992 until her retirement, Judy served as vice-president and grievance co-chair from 1995 until 2001. She was a strong advocate for teachers-never bashful about expressing her views and always able to back up her statements with supporting evidence.
An enthusiastic sports fan, Judy can be found every Friday night during the fall cheering on her son's football team. She is also an avid reader and enjoys traveling throughout the United States and Europe. One former student recalls being dismayed to learn that Judy DeCaprio was retiring because a younger brother (then in fifth grade) "would miss out by not having the opportunity to have her for a teacher." It would be hard to estimate the number of Branford students who did benefit from that opportunity, but benefit they did, And many have gone on to pursue careers in the fields of social studies and/or education because of her inspiration and example.
Judy tried to reach and stretch all her students and simply demanded each student's best The motto "Soar with the eagles or flop-like a turkey" reminded students of her expectations: Every student is capable of learning and only one's best efforts are acceptable. Her back ground in special education led her to ensure that all her students would achieve success at their level. Recognizing students' learning differences, she might assign primary-source work to her more gifted students and collages and newspaper reading to others. She also drew on students' interests to make learning come alive. One notable project around 1990 drew on the Billy Joel hit "We Didn't Start the Fire." Some students were assigned to research every historical reference in the lyrics while others worked on collages to illustrate them. She also used political cartoons as a teaching strategy-first having students analyze clippings found in newspapers and magazines and then having them create their own.
Current events was an important emphasis in Judy DeCaprio's classes, and she was always encouraging students to "go beyond the headlines." She urged them to form their own opinions about current events and to back up their opinions with facts. She also introduced students to formal debating, teaching them how to argue either side of an issue.
An interdisciplinary team was an ideal teaching milieu for Judy, who was a natural collaborator. She and English teacher Nancy Beccia worked together on skills for developing a research paper, from choosing a topic and outlining to developing and supporting the thesis. One former student recalls freezing at the thought of writing a graduate school research thesis using Russian language sources. The outcome was successful, and the student writes, "Ten years after leaving the middle school, my outline and index cards were new on my laptop, but there I was using Mrs. DeCaprio's method to do my paper." Judy also collaborated with math teacher Sandra Baldwin on units such as survival on a deserted island and a simulation of a new immigrant arriving at Ellis Island.
Judy received the Faculty Excellence Award in 1984 and the Celebration of Excellence in 1990 and was honored by the Walsh Class of 1994 with their yearbook dedication. She is listed in Who's Who in Education and was a BEST mentor and cooperating teacher. A member of the Branford Education Association Executive Board from 1992 until her retirement, Judy served as vice-president and grievance co-chair from 1995 until 2001. She was a strong advocate for teachers-never bashful about expressing her views and always able to back up her statements with supporting evidence.
An enthusiastic sports fan, Judy can be found every Friday night during the fall cheering on her son's football team. She is also an avid reader and enjoys traveling throughout the United States and Europe. One former student recalls being dismayed to learn that Judy DeCaprio was retiring because a younger brother (then in fifth grade) "would miss out by not having the opportunity to have her for a teacher." It would be hard to estimate the number of Branford students who did benefit from that opportunity, but benefit they did, And many have gone on to pursue careers in the fields of social studies and/or education because of her inspiration and example.