Mitchell Comiskey
Position: Eighth Grade Science Teacher
School: Forest Glen Middle School
School District: Broward County Public Schools
City, State: Coral Springs, FL
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Mitchell Comiskey was nominated by his principal, Ronald Forsman.
Mr. Comiskey is a highly respected and awarded science teacher who has been working in education for many years. He has helped his students develop a love for science, the environment and community service. His Ocean Guardians Club participates in many environmental outreach events. Mr. Comiskey also brings in scientists and guest speakers to help develop the next generation of environmental stewards and activists.
He has personally won numerous awards for science and environmental activism. Among them, he has won the Broward County P3 award for environmental education, as well as a recognition award from the International Bowseat Ocean Awareness competition. He serves on State and Regional committees for coral reef conservation, including Our Florida Reefs and SEFCRI. Mr. Comiskey brings these experiences into his classroom to enthusiastically share with his students. He has developed curriculum and served on textbook adoption committees. He is highly sought after as a teacher, as well as a curriculum leader in Broward County.
Mr. Comiskey has devoted his life to instilling a love of science in students. His passion is contagious and has spilled over to the community in many ways.
"Former students of his, now professionals, regard him as one of their finest teachers and instrumental in some of their science career choices," Forsman said. "He instills a love for science that has clearly made a lifelong impression. His reputation is a big reason students come to Forest Glen Middle School. He has been a part of creating an accelerated curriculum for gifted and high achieving students. This program is well known, and admission is very competitive."
Mr. Comiskey consistently displays outstanding professionalism and always goes the extra mile. He developed the Marine Science program and curricula used at his school. In his role as mentor for new educators and science department chair, he helps colleagues reach their full potential as classroom teachers. He guides the next generation in developing their skills as an instructor. He is committed to developing highly skilled teachers to continue the mission. Mr. Comiskey earned National Board Certification in 2004 and has always ranked among the top science teachers in his district by any and all measurable standards.
"His students consistently score among the top on state exams, all within the confines of a nurturing and relaxed, yet demanding and intellectual atmosphere where respect for all is not negotiable," Forsman said. "Mitch is a great human being who does not seek the spotlight. He led a team in a boat building regatta one weekend and never mentioned it to anyone at the school, other than his students. He devotes a great deal of personal time to his students and his passion. We are fortunate to have Mr. Comiskey here at Forest Glen Middle School."
He’s an amazing person and great teacher! We are so lucky to have him
Fantastic marine biology teacher.
He really cares about saving the planet .
We are so lucky to have him, he truly lead by example and truly inspired his students
Mr. C was my daughter’s teacher in 2005. He is a passionate teacher who embodies all that this role entails. An amazing role model and teacher. Hannah still speaks fondly of him. So proud that he had such an impact on my daughter. He would be a wise choice to choose him for this honor
I was Mr. C’s student in 2006. He was such an awesome role model for my fellow students and me - and made science - which, at the time, I was wholly disinterested in - enjoyable and intriguing. No other mentor of mine has been as genuine in their efforts to inspire as Mr. C. I was reminded of the things I learned from him during my recent work at Fernbank Museum in Atlanta, spreading the word about the importance of preserving our old growth forests, and environment as a whole. Mr.C is definitely a life changer!
Have known Mitch for many years - more than either of us will admit. He is the finest science teacher I have ever known. When I was teaching, we would switch classes and he would come in to explain some science phenomenon to which I could not do justice. To top it all off, he is humble. However, I think it's his heightened sense of humor that draws us all to him. Good going, as usual, Mitch.
Mr. Comiskey was my science teacher at Forest Glen Middle School for my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years -- nearly 20 years ago now. It isn't overstatement to suggest that he was one of the single most influential adults in my life at that time, and someone I considered the most genuine of friends and mentors. I was never the type of student who naturally gravitated toward subjects of math or science, so I was admittedly a tough sell in the classroom.
But what Mr. Comiskey offered me in those years far exceeded academia. He and I were both passionate baseball fans. He rooted for the San Francisco Giants and I rooted for the Boston Red Sox. We ribbed each other throughout the season, constantly keeping each other engaged in the day-to-day progress of each other's teams. When Mr. Comiskey discovered my uncanny (and seemingly useless) ability to memorize the greatest minutia of baseball statistics, he suggested that I and a few other teachers and classmates form a friendly fantasy baseball league (back in the days before computers and cell phones made the whole process a cinch). He helped me analyze batting averages, home runs, ERA, and various other statistical categories in creating a comprehensive ranking of every player in Major League Baseball. The league we formed remains one of my fondest memories of those years and was far more impactful than one might expect.
Today, I am a sports documentarian with a few television series for Vice, ESPN, and Starz under my belt. I can say unequivocally that Mr. Comiskey was the first adult in my life to encourage my passion for sports and to make me realize that being a sports nerd could be cool -- after all, today I am one for a living.
He's as deserving of this honor as anyone I can imagine. Wishing him luck and happy to help any way I can.
Casey Scharf
Forest Glen Middle
He’s an amazing person and great teacher! Thank you for honoring him in this way as he’s positively impacted so many students over the course of his teaching career ??
I have known Mitch Comiskey since his first day as a brand new teacher. (30+ years ago). There was an immediate recognition of his exemplary talent to teach. But, it wasn’t just teaching; it was kids learning for the thrill of learning. That’s not something that you see too often, but Mitch just made you want to stop by his room to see what fun things the kids were learning and be a part of it. I only had the pleasure of teaching with him for five years, but we’ve remained friends throughout this time. I’ve watched as he’s grown from a teacher of students, to a teacher of other teachers by sharing his love of teaching as a teacher mentor. I am thrilled every time I see his picture in the newspaper or online for another award he’s won or a new project he’s starting. Almost every picture includes some of his students - because that’s who he is. He uses much of his personal time to share his love of the water with his students. He makes sure that they understand that nature is fragile and that we have to take care of it. The internet is full of pictures of him supervising student built boat regattas, marine life studies, kids selling bracelets to raise money to help protect our waters. Our last chat reflected on the fact that he only had a year to go to hit his 30 years and I thought he might join me in retirement. When the time came he choose to remain in teaching. He had to; that’s what he does. When I look at his Facebook page, it’s full of his students telling him how wonderful he is and what he was their favorite teacher. One last thing. He had the knowledge and the opportunity to go and work for many big companies and make the big salaries that come with it. He didn’t do that. He choose to remain a teacher because that’s who he is. Mitch Comiskey is a teacher and the best one I know.
"Former students of his, now professionals, regard him as one of their finest teachers and instrumental in some of their science career choices," Forsman said. Could not be more true. I was lucky enough to have class with Mr. C twice as a student at Forest Glen from 2001-2004. My sister, two years ahead of me in school, had told me he'd be one of my favorite teachers, and she was right. Mr. C was a captivating teacher who designed a brilliant curriculum to keep all his students engaged while encouraging us to find the things we enjoyed most about science. I particularly remember him guiding us through two different science fairs, motivating us to push the experiments further and challenge ourselves to learn as much as we could about the subject we'd chosen. Now, more than 17 years after my family first came to know Mr. C, myself, my sister, and my classmates still count him among the best teachers we ever had.
Inspired me in his classroom to keep pursuing my dream of being a forensic scientist. I am 3 classes away today.
You never know which moment will a lifetime in the eyes of a student. Mitch, makes them all count. #impact
Mr. Comiskey taught me for three years when I was in middle school at Forest Glen. Between 1999 and 2002, I was lucky enough to attend his classes and learn from him. I credit Mr. Comiskey with my love of science, and as huge part of what drove me to want to become a teacher myself. He truly went above and beyond to ensure that we not only got a thorough education, but that we enjoyed every minute of it. He is, by far, one of the most amazing teachers I've ever had, and a prime example of what every educator should strive to be.
There was never a dull moment in Me. Comiskey’s class. I was always excited to go to class and learn from him. He was truly one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure of having, and as a future educator, I only hope to have as much of an influence on my students as well!
Mr. Comiskey is the one who instilled in me a love for science. I majored in biology in college and am currently in dental school, none of which would have been possible without the solid foundation he gave me. 15 years later and I am still using what I learned in his classes! He is an exceptional educator and deserves all of the recognition in the world!
I taught with Mitch for many years. I saw first hand what he did for his students and the school. He is a great teacher and person!
Seven years later and I can still remember all that I learned in Mr. Comiskey’s class. Considering the fact that I have trouble recalling what I did this past semester, that is quite a remarkable feat and indicative of how amazing he is as a teacher. Somehow, what I studied in his eight grade course laid a strong foundation that took me through AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, and AP Physics; along with a whole slew of other science courses. One incredible thing about Mr. Comiskey is that I could see how much he loved his work. It came across in the way he engaged us with science in the classroom and how he led his life outside of it, always taking part in community projects. I’ve had university professors with endless doctorates and decades of experience behind them, allegedly experts in their field; who did nothing to get me interested in the subject or even show me their own interest. I did not realize it then, but I learned so much from that last year of middle school with Mr. Comiskey and I am grateful.
