The East Rockaway Board of Education proudly named longtime educator Mr. Don Poland its inaugural Hometown Hero for the 2026-27 school year. At the Sept. 29 Board of Education meeting at East Rockaway High School, Mr. Poland was honored for decades of service to students and the greater East Rockaway community.

Mr. Poland joined the East Rockaway School District in 1999 as a middle school social studies teacher, one year after his wife, Cheri, began teaching in the district, her alma mater. From the start, Mr. Poland’s work extended well beyond teaching history. He encouraged his students to understand their role as citizens and showed them how kindness, service and community involvement can make a difference.

Over the years, Mr. Poland has led numerous service projects benefiting people both close to home and across the country. His students have organized supply drives for communities recovering from natural disasters and other emergencies, including tornado devastation in Oklahoma, a chemical spill in West Virginia and severe flooding in South Carolina.

Closer to home, Mr. Poland has made community service a regular part of his students’ education. Each year, he involves students in East Rockaway’s Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony and wreath toss at the waterfront. He has also brought students to the district’s elementary schools for service projects, including creating Valentines for Veterans.

Most recently, Mr. Poland brought together his passion for education, history and community service to create a 25-year remembrance pop-up museum commemorating the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. Displayed at the East Rockaway Historical Society, the exhibit reflected more than two decades of his work teaching students about citizenship, patriotism, resilience, kindness and service.

The museum featured 25 years of student artwork, photographs, memorabilia, classroom projects and historical artifacts collected throughout Mr. Poland’s career, preserving not only the history of Sept. 11 but also the ways generations of East Rockaway students have learned about its lasting impact.

Mr. Poland is a valued member of the East Rockaway family, and his influence extends far beyond his classroom. Through decades of teaching, community involvement, and service to others, he has helped generations of students understand that being part of a community also means taking responsibility for caring for it. His dedication to East Rockaway and its students exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a Hometown Hero.