Category Archives: Education

Hardworking, dedicated teacher Mazie Ann Fairfax graduated from Tuskegee University

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Elementary school teacher Mazie Ann Fairfax who earned her degree from Tuskegee University in Alabama. Photo Credit: The San Bernardino Sun

I always enjoy shining a spotlight on a hardworking and dedicated educator who has worked with students in our pubic schools. Today, I highlight Mazie Ann Fairfax, a popular elementary school teacher originally from Atlanta, Georgia.

Mazie was born in Atlanta on April 18, 1928. As a young girl, she attended Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. This was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., served as a pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968. In fact, The church was the location of the funerals of both Dr. King and, in its later expanded sanctuary, the late Congressman John Lewis. This is also the church where current US Senator Raphael Warnock  has been pastor since 2005. The historic church building and expanded sanctuary building are located in the historic area designated as the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historical Park.

Once Mazie graduated from high school, she enrolled in Tuskegee University in Alabama. Tuskegee is a private, historically Black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the Alabama Legislature. Dr. Booker T. Washington was the school’s first teacher and founding principal. The campus was designated as the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site by the National Park Service in 1974. It was there, during the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, that Mazie earned her Bachelor’s degree.

She then relocated to California, where she earned her teaching credentials. In 1965, Mazie inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position at Newman Elementary School in the Chino Unified School District. She remained in the classroom for 30 years.

Sadly, Mazie Ann Fairfax passed away at her home in Alt Loma, California, on her birthday in 2024. She was 96 years old.

 

NJ Social Studies teacher Edward Graf earns 2024 VFW Award

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Social Studies teacher Edward Graf, a US military veteran, has earned a 2024 Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).  Photo Credit: VFW

It is always a pleasure for me to shine a spotlight on an outstanding classroom teacher who has also served in the United States military. Today, I spotlight Edward M. Graf, a high school teacher in Bridgewater, New Jersey. He has earned a 2024 Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Award from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars).

Edward, a veteran of the US Army, teaches social studies teacher at Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School (SCVTHS) in Bridgewater, New Jersey. His candidacy for the VFW honor was sponsored by Bernardsville Memorial VFW Post 7858 in Bernardsville, New Jersey. The outstanding educator was chosen for the continued passion and energy he brings to his classroom, and for the dedication he shows with regards to honoring America’s service members, veterans, and Gold Star families. He does this through multiple student-led community events, including the organizing of Proud to be an American Day, an event which honors the service and ultimate sacrifice paid by our nation’s armed forces.

The Proud to be an American Day, which is celebrating its 10th year at SCVTHS, and its 17th year overall, was inaugurated by Edward as a way to reinforce his classroom curriculum about citizenship. Over the almost two decades that he has run the program, Edward and his students have raised over $170,000 from local businesses and community groups to sponsor this event. Last year, the event featured representatives from almost every branch of the military, five military aircraft, Civil War cannon demonstrations, performances of patriotic music, memorial presentations, and a variety of speakers, including generals and admirals. The event was attended by students from 13 schools from five counties.

While he was in the service, Edward served as a radio operator and Infantry Team Leader in the US Army, 25th Infantry Division. He served from 1997 through 1999. While there, he earned an Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

Each year, the VFW selects one elementary, one middle school, and one high school teacher to receive the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher award. The honor recognizes outstanding teachers for their exceptional commitment to teaching Americanism and patriotism to their students through promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette, and patriotism in the classroom. Edward will receive a check for $1,000 which he can use for professional development and another $1,000 for his school during the 125th VFW National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, July 27-Aug. 1, 2024.

To read more, click on this link to VFW website.

FL teacher Jesica Pearce garners 2024 Gladys Prior Award for Career Teaching Excellence

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Jesica Pearce, a Special Education teacher from Jacksonville in northern Florida, has earned a 2024 Gladys Prior Award for Career Teaching Excellence.  Photo Credit:University of North Florida

There are many dedicated and deserving educators who work in our nation’s schools. Occasionally, one of them receives recognition for their outstanding achievements. One of these is Jesica Pearce, an elementary school Special Education teacher from Florida. She has garnered a coveted 2024 Gladys Prior Award for Career Teaching Excellence. She is one of four northern Florida educators to win the award, which comes with a $17,000 check.

Jesica teaches students with varying exceptionalities to third, fourth, and fifth graders at Lake Lucina Elementary School in Jacksonville. Her career as an educator spans 22 years, almost all of them in Duval County Public Schools.

In addition to her Gladys Prior Award, Jesica was named a Duval County Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist. She was also named Lake Lucina Elementary Teacher of the Year in both 2013 and 2023. Furthermore, she has also been honored as a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert and received the prestigious Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship.

Jesica earned her Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education. She earned her Master’s degree in Art Eucation from Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts. Currently she is pursuing a second Master’s degree in Global Education through Arizona State University.

The Gladys Prior Awards for Career Teaching Excellence were established in 1998 by philanthropist Gilchrist Berg, founder and president of Water Street Capital, to honor teachers who have accomplished lifelong careers in education. Over the last 26 years, Berg has distributed more than $2 million to honor teachers in the Jacksonville area. The award is named after Berg’s fourth-grade teacher at Ortega Elementary School, Gladys Prior. The University of North Florida College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) manages the award on behalf of Berg.

 

Jackie Freitas named Hawaii’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year

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Jackie Freitas named 2024 State Teacher of the Year Photo Credit: CCSSO

There are many excellent educators deserving of recognition who work in public schools in the state of Hawaii. One of these is his school agriculture teacher Jackie Freitas. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Jackie teaches at Leilehua High School in Wahiawa, Hawaii. In a career that spans 13 years, she has worked nearly all of them at Leilehua. There she instructs courses in natural resources and serves as the advisor for her school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) Club.

Jackie teaches her students to grow produce through coding and STEM research. She has introduced her students to lessons on hydroponics, bee apiaries, and more. She has also pioneered a new initiative at the high school which allows students to sell and donate produce to local families. She created a curriculum for animal husbandry in order to give students hands-on experience, and designed lessons in organic farming to train them to become certified organic inspectors for the state. She has also formed partnerships with the State Department of Education for certification in food handling and with the State Department of Land and Natural Resources for hunter education certification.

In addition to working with young people, Jackie also serves as a facilitator for providing professional development and hands-on training to teachers across the state. 

Her advice to colleagues? “Take the time to build a community within your classroom, get to know your students and what they can offer within your classroom, as well as allow students the opportunity to learn beyond your four walls of the classroom,” she says. “There are many ways to incorporate instruction other than just lecturing and worksheets, but rather come up with ways to incorporate labs, hands-on instruction, or different types of technology,” she continues.

Jackie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu in 2011. She also earned certification to teach Career and Technical Education in natural resources from Leeward Community College. She is currently pursuing her National Board Certification in natural resources.

TX teacher Lauren Parker participates in NASA Embedded Teacher program

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Junior high school science teacher Lauren Parker inspires her students at Fort Worth Academy in Texas. She was one of eight teachers selected to participate in a NASA Embedded Teacher program. Through this program, she serves as a Limitless Space Institute Educator Ambassador, an International Space Station (ISS) National Lab Space Station Ambassador, and a Tony Space Foundation Teacher Liaison. Lauren is also a winner of the Excellence in Education Award.

Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Science Education in 2006 and her Master’s degree in Middle School Education in 2007, both from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. She has taught at Fort Worth Academy for the past nine years.