Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

Retired educator Lenton Malry served in the NM House of Reps

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Retired teacher and administrator Lenton Malry served his community as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Photo Credit: History Makers

Many outstanding educators also serve their communities as politicians. One of these is Lenton Malry, a retired teacher and administrator from New Mexico who once served in his state’s House of Representatives.

Lenton was born on Sept 31, 1931, in Keithville, Louisiana, the son of farmers. In 1948, he graduated from Central Colored High School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education from Louisiana’s Grambling College in 1952. In 1957, Lenton earned his Master’s degree from Texas College in Tyler, Texas. In 1968, he completed the requirements for his PhD from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. In fact, he was the first African American to earn a PhD from that institution.

Lenton is also a US veteran. After he earned his Bachelor’s degree, he enlisted in the US Air Force, where he served in the Education Office at RAF West Drayton. The base is located in the London borough of Hillingdon, which served as the main center for military air traffic control in the United Kingdom at the time.

The former military man inaugurated his career as an elementary school educator at Douglas High School in Sherman, Texas. Later he worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the Kinlichee School on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona, and later in the Gallup-McKinley County School District in New Mexico.

In 1962, Lenton moved to the secondary level when he accepted a position at Lincoln Junior High in Albuquerque. Two years later, he was named the principal of John Marshall Elementary School, and four years after that, he served at La Mesa Elementary School. From 1975 until his retirement in 1987, Lenton served as the Equal Opportunity Director for the Albuquerque School District. Interestingly, Lenton was the first African American man to teach in New Mexico, and the first to serve as a principal in the Albuquerque district.

Once he completed retired, Lenton decided to go into politics. He was elected on the Democratic ticket to the New Mexico House of Representatives. He served in that body from 1969 to 1979. While there, he advocated for better resources for public education and for universal kindergarten.

In 2016, Lenton became a published author, when his autobiography, Let’s Roll this Train, was released by the University of New Mexico Press. This volume earned him the Father Thomas Steele History Award from New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in 2017.

This was not the only recognition Lenton earned.  He received the University of New Mexico’s Living Legend Award in 2007, and he was inducted into Grambling State University’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

Lenton Malry: A true Chalkboard Champion.

Mary Kay Connerton named Maryland’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Physical Education educator Mary Kay Connerton named the 2024 Maryland State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Maryland State Department of Education

Many outstanding educators help our nation’s students improve their physical fitness and overall health. One of these is Mary Kay Connerton, a physical education teacher from Maryland. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Mary Kay teaches courses in physical education and wellness at Annapolis High School (AHS) in Annapolis. She has taught there for the past nine years. In her classroom, Mary Kay is a strong advocate for wellness, not only for her students, but also for her colleagues and the community at large. She is a proponent of addressing the whole individual, and she believes that the foundation of success begins with being healthy in both body and mind.

In response to her students’ needs, Mary Kay created and inaugurated her school’s first yoga course. Eventually, the course evolved into a holistic wellness program that spread to every school in her school district, with Mary Kay leading the teacher training program for teachers.

“The work I do is a bit out of the box,” confesses Mary Kay. “But it is the exact link that could lead to the acceleration of every individual for not just educational success, but also personal success.”

In addition to her work with the schools, Mary Kay co-leads her community’s trauma team, wellness club, and trauma-informed wellness groups, all of which focus on healing and connection. She facilitates events to connect employees and the community with these resources. In addition, she pioneered the district’s first social emotional learning and wellness curriculum for 25,000 students with Johns Hopkins University.

Her selection as Maryland’s 2024 Teacher of the Year is not the only honor Mary Kay has earned. In 2020, she received the 2020 Maryland Society of Health & Physical Education Friend Award. She also garnered a Wellness School of Distinction Award.

Mary Kay earned her Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education in 2008 and her Master’s degree in Special Education in 2010, both from State University of New York at Cortland. She also earned an administrator certificate from McDaniel College in 2018. Her career as an educator spans more than 20 years.

 

NY teacher Lydia Santana garners 2023-2024 Big Apple Award

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High school English teacher Lydia Santana has garnered a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from New York City Schools Department of Education. Photo Credit: Lydia Santana

New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) does a fine job of recognizing their most outstanding teachers. This year, they have honored nearly 50 classroom educators who work in public schools within New York. One of these is Lydia Santana, a high school English teacher who has been named a recipient of their 2023-2024 Big Apple Award.

Lydia teaches at Newtown High School in the Queens North High Schools District. She instructs courses in Advanced Placement Language and Composition and Honors English to seniors and juniors. She has taught at the school for the past 14 years. In her classroom, Lydia cultivates a confident, active and engaging instructional environment. According to the NYC DOE, Lydia provides frequent opportunities to elevate student voices, many of whom are English language learners still developing their language skills.

Lydia earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from Queens College in 2009. While there, she was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society.

Chalkboard Champion Laura Settle, founder of CA Retired Teachers Association

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Activist and retired teacher Laura Settle founded the California Retired Teachers Association to fight for retirement benefits for educators. Photo credit: CalRTA

In US history, there are many examples of hardworking educators who continue to work towards improving the lives others, even after retirement. One of these is activist Laura E. Settle, the founder and first president of the California Retired Teachers Association.

Laura retired as a teacher from the Pasadena School District in Pasadena, California, while the country was struggling through the Great Depression. At that time, a retired schoolteacher received just $500 a year in pension benefits. To rectify this, a small group of teachers led by Laura Settle banded together to fight for better retirement incomes for their colleagues who were living in poverty after a lifetime of teaching.

In 1927, Laura contacted Los Angeles politicians with the goal of forming a local retired teachers’ group. Interested individuals held their first meeting in Sycamore Grove Park. Laura was elected president, and she immediately launched into her work to expand the organization in other California communities. For years, she drove the dusty highways all over the state to help organize teachers in their common cause. All were welcome to join for the annual dues of $1.

After several years, CalRTA made its first major breakthrough in 1934, when pensions were finally boosted, and by 1943, Laura’s work had resulted in the formation of 17 divisions throughout California. Today, CalRTA is one of the nation’s largest retired teacher organizations with more than 43,000 members in 86 local divisions throughout the state.

In all, Laura served 16 years as the president of CalRTA, from 1929 to 1945. This amazing educator passed away on May 11, 1951. To honor her, a scholarship has been established in her name, and is given to deserving high school students who have declared an intention to go into the teaching profession.

Laura E. Settle: All California teachers, whether currently retired or still in the classroom, owe her a great debt.