SCHOOL NAMING AUDITORIUM AFTER LONGTIME VOLUNTEER.

Byline: TRACY ZABORAC Community Columnist

Teachers streamed in after the recess bell rang at Nestle Avenue School in Tarzana and it was obvious they knew who ran the school office: Angie DiNardo.

She's 78, small - and a powerhouse. ``They allow me to be a giant,'' she said while fixing the copy machine and distributing hugs. ``I love this school.''

It would be safe to say that DiNardo is a teacher's aide, staff member, school representative and surrogate Italian grandmother to the people she works with.

And for 35 years she's done it all practically for free, working several hours after her shift ends.

DiNardo's selfless dedication to her school has gotten her more than just thousands of hugs. It's gotten her the school auditorium.

Today at noon, during a dedication ceremony, her name will be seen on the outside of the building amid a gathering of family members, students, teachers and school administrators - including Mike Roos, president of Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now, and cluster leader Debbie Leidner.

During the dedication, DiNardo will be presented with proclamations from Gov. Pete Wilson and Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

Elaine Cohen, a fourth-grade teacher who organized the entire dedication, says DiNardo has lasted through several principals.

``She's sharp as a tack,'' said Cohen. ``Angie will do anything for anyone who needs it. She's an incredible lady.''

In 1963, when DiNardo's son was in kindergarten at Nestle, she decided not to go straight home one day. She asked the office staff if they needed any help.

``They asked me to type report cards,'' DiNardo said. ``And here I am 35 years later.''

To this day, DiNardo spends her days at Nestle carrying out any number of tasks because, as she says, she loves the school family and she's never thought about going anywhere else.

``I'll be here as long as I have my faculties and my hands,'' DiNardo said from the school office. ``Whatever is pertinent for a teacher to have, that's what I do.''

And that's what she's done faithfully all these years.

On Thursday, City Councilman Hal Bernson will sponsor the 11th Annual North Valley Family YMCA Booster Club Dinner.

The fund-raising event adds several thousand dollars to YMCA children's programs and facilities each year.

Bernson started the event for the North Valley Family YMCA and has been the honorary chairman every year.

Since the fund-raiser's inception more than $400,000 has been raised to support the scholarships given to children in YMCA programs.

This year's event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills.

A grand prize of $15,000 or a new Toyota from Hamer Toyota, one of the corporate sponsors, will be given away.

The $300-per-person dinner is open to anyone. For reservations, call [phone].

Barbara Pressey Sitzman, a teacher at Chatsworth High School, has received the Western Regional High School Chemistry Teaching Award from the American Chemical Society.

She educates her students by helping them do anything from designing a laboratory to videotaping skits on the life of a chemist.

The Tarzana woman is involved with chemistry way beyond just the classroom, where her hands-on teaching style has been honored.

Sitzman is the workshop leader for the ACS ChemCom teacher training program. Her many published works, including her latest participation in ``ACS-NSTA Cooperative Examination: Chemistry in the Community,'' have won her the respect of many in the chemistry field.

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PHOTO Angie DiNardo will be honored for her 35 years of service at Nestle Avenue School.

David Sprague/Daily News