Honor recognizes dedication, leadership, and advocacy for students, teachers, and communities
In front of 400 of her peers, Bridgeport third-grade teacher Mikeya Stovall was presented with the Connecticut Education Association’s highest teaching award, the John McCormack Award for Teaching Excellence. Stovall was honored at the 175th annual CEA Representative Assembly, held at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center this weekend.
“Mikeya is a shining example of Connecticut’s innovative, engaging public school teachers,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “She is committed to lifting up her students, nurturing their love of learning, and strengthening school-family connections. She promotes excellence in teaching and service to the profession, her colleagues, and her union. We are proud to honor her.”
Students at Read School, where Stovall teaches, come from various countries and speak myriad languages. Those who have had her for a teacher speak fondly of her positive influence on them long after leaving her classroom.
“Ms. Stovall encouraged me to be a scholar and always give my best effort, to be respectful and kind to everyone, and to be a leader,” says Amir L., who is now in eighth grade. “Today, I still get good grades, read every day, and help with lots of things at our school, including arrival and dismissal for the little kids.”
Stovall encourages her students to focus on their future selves by shaping how they think about their role in the world and the contributions they will make. She teaches her students that right now, they are building the foundation for everything they hope to someday be, explore, or produce, and that each of them has an innate skill or talent that they can strengthen through practice.
“I work to help facilitate the understanding that every single student was born to change the world in some capacity,” Stovall said, adding, “I am beyond grateful for everyone who has shared their wisdom and knowledge with me over the years, who has inspired me and spoken positivity over my life, including teachers, mentors, students, association representatives and spiritual leaders. It truly takes a village.”
“Mikeya is passionate and dedicated to her students as well as her colleagues and her union,” says Bridgeport Education Association President Ana Batista. “As a young educator, she does not hesitate to volunteer or get involved in activities to help advance public education and the teaching profession. She has become an impressive leader whose activism has earned her an appointment to the Bridgeport Education Association’s Executive Board.”
Stovall spends her summers working at Bridgeport’s Early Reading Summer Success program and uses her earnings to purchase multicultural and multilingual books for her students.
“Mikeya is a gifted educator who lights up our school with positive energy and inspiration,” says fellow Read School third-grade teacher Loraine Williams. “She attends conferences and professional development opportunities and shares with colleagues new literature and knowledge regarding creative and diverse pedagogies.”
The John McCormack Award for Teaching Excellence, which is highly competitive, evaluates teachers on five criteria: professional practice, community engagement, leadership in professional development, attention to diversity, and advocacy for the profession.
Stovall, who has been teaching for six years, was featured in CEA’s public awareness campaign Because of a Teacher, Every Profession is Possible, highlighting the central role teachers play in inspiring students to be their best selves. Stovall herself recalls numerous teachers who shaped her into the educator she is today.
“My fifth-grade teacher, who works in my district now as a principal, always pushed us to be our best selves,” she says. “And my music teacher, Ms. Perensky, got us involved in travel chorus, where we were able to partner with a suburban school district, go into a recording studio, and record a song. We got to sing at a Bridgeport Bluefish baseball game when Harbor Yard first opened, so that was an experience that took us outside of our neighborhood. I try to ensure my own students see and experience different things and places whenever we have that opportunity. I have many stories, many great educators, many inspirations.”
Stovall received a $2,000 cash honorarium from CEA and will attend the Salute to Education Gala in Washington, D.C., next spring. She is also CEA’s nominee for the National Education Association Foundation for the Improvement of Education Award for Teaching Excellence.
