2024 Educator of the Year: Gary Buckner

Gary Buckner’s classroom can be anything: a theater for debate, a television newsroom or the place where watermelons meet their demise in a guillotine. For the students who are inspired by his worldly, welcoming presence and infectious enthusiasm, it’s a place where they can feel comfortable being themselves while learning. 

The chorus of laughter and joyous commotion that pours out of Room 217 is a familiar sound for students and staff at Mattituck High School. Longtime history teacher Mr. Buckner has been a staple in Mattituck for nearly 30 years, teaching generations of North Fork locals. His class is synonymous with the “Mattituck experience” for many graduates, Superintendent Shawn Petretti said. 

“There’s certain teachers that you have to have in order to get the full Mattituck experience,” Mr. Petretti explained. “And Gary’s name always comes up when kids talk about that.”

For almost three decades, Mr. Buckner has started his class by ceremoniously jumping through his classroom window to introduce himself. He then shakes every student’s hand to get to know them before they embark on their academic journey together. 

This expedition through education spans the globe and the political systems it encompasses, as Mr. Buckner brings his own worldly experiences to each day of instruction. History teacher Erik McKenna described Mr. Buckner’s classroom as a “museum of all of the different places that he’s been to.”

His colleagues know him as an educator who goes above and beyond for his students.

“He goes out of his way to design activities,” history teacher Sean Morgan said. “He [goes] the extra mile to make kids enjoy social studies and make them engaged in his lessons.”

Mr. Buckner has been the heartbeat of several traditions at Mattituck High School. He is the architect of thoughtful educational activities like an election night school sleepover in the auditorium and the annual international law forum. At the forum, similar to a model United Nations, students work together to propose solutions to problems the world is facing. 

He consistently extends himself beyond the walls of his classroom, and is frequently asked to appear as a special guest on the school’s morning show or act as a chaperone for senior trips. 

Students are not the only ones who draw inspiration from his lessons, as Mr. Morgan believes Mr. Buckner helped make him a better educator. 

“His approach to treating every kid, including every kid and welcoming every kid — it really is such an important part of education,” Mr. Morgan said. “When I start my year, to this day, I walk up to every kid and I shake their hand.” He said that Mr. Buckner helped him find a way to ensure that every student knows “they matter in your classroom” by leading by example. 

Throughout his tenure, heightened political polarization became a sensitive subject in school. Mr. Buckner never shied away from these topics, and instead welcomed healthy political debates in his classroom during “Friday chats.” Mr. Petretti applauded him for his efforts to foster an environment where students feel safe to have healthy, balanced conversations about current events. 

“He really encourages kids to voice their opinions, and he tries to create an environment where the students respect each other,” Mr. McKenna said. “They may not agree with each other, but he really tries to encourage diversity of opinion and backing it up and just trying to keep an open mind.”

As Mr. Buckner looks to retire this year, the scholars he has watched grow up throughout his years in Mattituck will surely remember him for all of the special moments he created, both inside and outside the classroom.

“He’s just meant so much to the kids here in Mattituck,” Mr. McKenna said. “He’s just one of the teachers that when people think about Mattituck — they think of Gary Buckner.”

For his years of enlightening students, inspiring them to be themselves and countless memories he has made with generations of Mattituck scholars, Gary Buckner is The Suffolk Times’ 2024 Educator of the Year.