Elizabeth McDermott has spent the last 10 years as a Dance Educator for the NYC DOE while additionally obtaining her Masters in Physical Education from Adelphi University where she is now an adjunct profession in the Physical Education department.  As a dance educator it is not her mission to create professional dancers, but instead to empower students with the skills needed to be critical thinkers, productive citizens and lifelong learners.  There are many challenges these students will be faced with in their lives and Elizabeth expects to provide her students with the tools needed for them to overcome any challenge they are faced with.  Through her dance class students become better communicators through collaborative work, building relationships and learning to self-manage when needed all while learning a variety of ways to stay physically active and healthy humans.  They become responsible decision makers, gain creativity and develop awareness of themselves. 

In Elizabeth's current positions she has held a multitude of responsibilities from scheduling, to counseling, to overseeing activities such as a dance club, running club and yoga club.  She always looks out for community opportunities for her students to get involved in and help make a difference in their own backyards.  Additionally, she spends many of her personal lunch periods outside to assist the students in organizing games of kick ball, basketball, volleyball and handball as well as practice dances. 

Professionally Elizabeth has presented at the NDEO conference, started a student chapter of the NDEO at Hofstra University and received merit awards for recognition as a Dance Educator.