Great Neck South High School teacher John Motchkavitz’s 15 minutes of fame continued Tuesday during an appearance on the nationally broadcast “Live with Kelly and Michael” show in which co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan presented Motchkavitz with a golden apple trophy for being named a top 5 finalist in the nationwide contest that seeks to honor teachers who have made a difference in students lives and in the community.
“Thank you for doing so much,” Ripa said.
The show presented a five-minute video showing Mochkavitz’s activities around the school and Great Neck community as well as appearances from his students, co-workers and community members.
Great Neck South High School teacher Sheryl Burger, who nominated Motchkavitz for the award, called him the “unofficial mayor of Great Neck.”
“Everybody knows Motch,” Burger said in the video. “He knows everything about the town.”
People in the video also joked about Motchkavitz’s nickname, “Motch.”
“I’ve heard his real name is Motchkavitz. But it’s Motch,” one student said.
The show also showed pictures of Motchkavitz volunteering with the Great Neck Fire Alert Company, which was one of the first departments to respond to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Motchkavitz said in an interview after the show that he enjoyed his appearance on national television.
“It was a great experience to be out there,” Motchkavitz said. “The people there were very nice and very welcoming.”
Motchkavitz, an alumnus of the Great Neck Public School District, was also honored during the video by one of his former teachers, Anna Schweiger.
“He was such a kind child,” Schweiger said in the video.
Motchkavitz said during the video that his goal as a teacher was to allow his students to graduate with the same good memories he had of the Great Neck schools.
“I try to help these kids in this high school have those memories,” he said.
Motchkavitz also said he tries to teach his students to give back to the community.
“I think it’s important to give back,” Motchkavitz said. “If everyone gave back just a little bit, the world would be a better place.”
Following the video, Motchkavitz walked out on the show’s stage and was praised by Ripa and Strahan for his work at the school and the Great Neck community.
“It really is amazing,” Strahan said to Mochkavitz. “Thank you for being dedicated to everything.”
Ripa and Strahan also announced that the show would be donating 30 Dell Latitude Tablets to Great Neck South High School and would be sending Motchkavitz on a week-long cruise to Alaska.
“Anything for the school is awesome,” Motchkavitz said. “The trip too was awesome. I’m really excited about heading up there.”
After each finalist appears on the show, a final round of voting will take place from May 16-19 on the show’s website, livekellyandmichael.com
The winner of will be announced on May 20 and receive a brand-new 2014 Ford Escape.
Motchkavitz, who teaches robotics and set design classes offered to students as electives, was honored by Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) on the House floor in Washington D.C. on last week.
“I am so proud of the contributions that John has made to Great Neck, to my congressional district, to Long Island and to our nation,” Israel said. “He is an example for teacher’s everywhere. Thank you Motch.”
Motchkavitz was named a finalist in the contest, which, on April 29. Motchkavitz said he was watching the show when the announcement was made.
“It was pretty amazing,” Motchkavitz said in an interview after the announcement. “The whole class just started going crazy. People were running around all over the place.”
Motchkavitz said he received a call from a former student’s parent on April 25, when Ripa and Strahan announced that Motchkavitz was a semifinalist, along with 11 other teachers.
Motchkavitz said that was the first he had heard about being nominated.
“I had no idea they nominated me,” he said. “Just being nominated was a beautiful thing.”
Motchkavitz has worked in the Great Neck school district for 12 years. He previously worked in the Malverne School District, where he was once honored as the district’s “teacher of the year.”
Motchkavitz was nominated by Burger, a member of the school’s business technology department.
“When we think of a person that makes a difference both in the classroom, around school and in his community, Motch is that guy,” Burger said in her nomination letter. “He really is the backbone of Great Neck South High School.”
Working in the Great Neck School District, Motchkavitz said, was never something he considered doing.
“I wasn’t sure about working where I lived,” he said.
But after deciding to say yes, he said he’s never been happier.
“It was the best move that I ever did,” he said.
