Team TCS Teachers Tara Dungate and Veronica Morabito-Weeks Are Set for November 6
Tara Dungate and fellow schoolteacher and friend Veronica Morabito-Weeks will run this year’s TCS New York City Marathon as Team TCS Teachers, an initiative that selects 50 teachers in North America to run 26.2 miles in New York.
“We were literally in tears when we found out,” said Tara, 36, at left above. “We are so proud and humbled to represent teachers who run.” The program also donates STEM-based resources to the Team’s classrooms.
Tara and Veronica, 56, who have co-taught the same class for the past seven years, have students participating in TCS’ GoIT app challenge. The fifth-graders will use STEM to create a digital prototype designed to solve a problem in their community, then present their idea to a panel.
Veronica and Tara helped bring the Rising New York Road Runners program to Bretton Woods Elementary School in Hauppauge, NY. “We believe that if running can change our lives, imagine what it could do for elementary students,” said Veronica. “After seeing our students with their parents complete a competitive 5K race when the club was over, we knew that we achieved more than we thought was possible.”
Both educators have run the TCS New York City Marathon—Veronica four times and Tara five times—and both made their debuts in 2017. “When I stood on the Verrazzano Bridge with all of my fellow runners and heard the song, ‘New York, New York,’ I knew that I would have to run this race every year for the rest of my life,” said Veronica.
Veronica took up running in 2012, after Hurricane Sandy sent trees crashing through the roof of her home—narrowly missing her son—and she had to walk everywhere. “My impatience made me start trying to run one block, walk one block,” she recalled. “My husband named me Forrest Gump because I quickly became addicted!”
Tara played sports and danced throughout her school and college years, and started running with the help of a couch to 5K app. She hopes to complete the 2022 marathon in a time close to the 3:42 she ran virtually in 2021.
The friends don’t train together and won’t race side by side because their goals differ, but that doesn’t stop them from strategizing, obsessing, and carbo-loading together. Tara bakes the homemade bread and Veronica tells the imaginative stories.
“My favorite time in our classroom is when a lesson leads into a ‘Mrs. Weeks’ story. Veronica has a lifetime full of experiences that our students enjoy listening to,” said Tara.
A native of Switzerland, Veronica moved to Camden, NJ with her family when she was a child. Her father instilled in her an ambitious, aspirational attitude. “Nothing stops her,” said Tara. “She has shared many life experiences that I cherish and live by. She has influenced me to take risks, go on trips, and experience life the best I can.”
Veronica was recognized with the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Education on Earth Day 2020, one of 10 educators nationwide to receive the honor. She organizes the school’s Running Club, Environmental Science Club, and others, and she once saved a great horned owl that got stuck in a soccer net.
An animal lover as well, Tara has two boxers, Lily and Ivy, and is known for her technology skills and artistic flair. She’s certified in special education and when she’s not decorating the classroom or baking, she’s likely out hiking with her dogs or paddleboarding.
“Tara inspires me in so many ways,” said Veronica. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a race and just when I would start to doubt myself, I would hear her yell my name and cheer me on. Or all the times I have run into the classroom with another crazy idea and she would say, ‘Let’s do it!’”
Veronica and Tara say their students are excited about the marathon, and many of them will form a cheering squad at the race. They both talk about running on a daily basis with their class, and are delighted that some of the students beg to run laps after recess.
“We try to show the class that doing hard things, whether in school or a sport, can push you to be the best version of yourself,” said Veronica.
