In addition to conducting the business of the association, delegates to the CEA Representative Assembly last weekend also honored many CEA members for their outstanding commitment to the profession, for advancing human and civil rights, and for their public relations efforts.
Exemplary Danbury teacher Lori Woodruff was presented with CEA’s highest teaching award, the John McCormack Award for Teaching Excellence.
“Lori is deeply devoted to her students, is involved in all aspects of her school community, and works tirelessly to ensure that every student feels valued and supported,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “Her colleagues describe her as kind and compassionate and the ‘mother’ of the school.”
The Academy for International Studies (AIS) Magnet School fourth grade teacher, who has been teaching in Danbury for almost 30 years, is committed to forming life-long relationships with her students and their families, and is their biggest cheerleader. She makes every student feel loved and seen and ensures families feel welcome and connected to the school.
“Forming relationships with students and families is my number one priority,” Woodruff says. “For my students, making them feel safe and comfortable allows them to take risks, make mistakes, and want to learn, and provides an environment for each child to be exactly who he/she is. My students learn that I am an imperfect person, so, therefore, they can be too.”
Although Woodruff is humble and soft-spoken, she fights hard for her convictions and to ensure her students and colleagues have what they need to be successful. She is a strong union advocate, serving as a building representative since 2013, and is also a member of the NEA Danbury Political Action Team.
Danbury teacher Lori Woodruff is the winner of this year’s John McCormack Award for Teaching Excellence.
“Lori holds herself to extremely high standards,” says fellow AIS teacher Matthew Calvanese who has worked with Woodruff since 2010. “Despite teaching writing, a subject that many students may not choose as their favorite, Lori is able to help all of her students grow. Through a combination of whole class lessons and individual conferences, Lori is able to inspire students to take risks in their writing leading to extensive growth. In addition, Lori inspires students through her science lessons. Year after year, students comment how they loved the lessons and activities Lori uses in class.”
“From raising trout, to learning how to greet someone in Japanese, to spending extra time teaching my son how to improve his writing, and creating the kindest classroom, there is no teacher that I would recommend over Lori Woodruff,” says PTO President Jade O’Connell. “Lori is the first staff member to volunteer for whatever we ask of the staff, whenever asked. She has volunteered in any capacity requested and has been a part of almost every PTO event. From a fundraising basketball game to volunteering to run the school play after school for many years, donating items for our different events and showing up to events after school hours, Lori gives of herself constantly. Her hand is always the first to go up; she rallies other staff members to also join and creates an environment where others want to help.”
Woodruff 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 NEA Foundation’s NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence.
Human & Civil Rights Commission Awards
CEA’s Human and Civil Rights Awards acknowledge dedicated and diverse educators for advancing human and civil rights and standing up for public schools. Three teachers received Human and Civil Rights awards at the CEA RA.
Jeanne-Marie McAnanly, Jessica Baldizon, and Joseph Goldman received HCR awards at the CEA RA.
Bridgeport ESOL teacher Jessica Baldizon received the Katherine Dunham Award, which honors members for promoting an understanding and an appreciation of a multicultural society through the arts. Baldizon is a bilingual, first generation English learner and daughter of immigrants from Nicaragua who has integrated the arts into the regular school day through her ESOL teaching as well as through school-wide collaborations with colleagues and through afterschool programming.
“Given that my students are multilingual learners who possess rich individual backgrounds and experiences, I have sought to promote an understanding and appreciation of multiculturalism within our school environment, my own daily lessons, and beyond the traditional four walls of the class as well,” Baldizon said. “Early on in my teaching career I learned that the arts are a wonderful vehicle for cross-cultural learning and, when meaningfully integrated, may yield rich discussions and points of connection.”
Mansfield social studies teacher Joseph Goldman received the Mahatma Gandhi—Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award for his work developing a genocide studies course for the state of Connecticut and teaching his students about the Holocaust.
“Goldman’s work on the genocide studies course included a reliance on primary sources, most importantly the stories of those directly impacted by the Holocaust. The genocide studies course examines not only past genocides such as the Holocaust, but also makes connections to current movements of hateful ideology,” said HCR Commission Co-Chair Michael McCotter.
Greenwich ESL teacher Jeanne-Marie McAnanly was awarded the CEA Humanitarian Award for Leadership in Recent Immigrant Educational and Community Relationships for dedicating her professional life to teaching immigrants both language and life skills so that they can excel on whatever path they choose for their futures.
Jason Pantages won gold for his work on the South Windsor Education Association’s website and Ronna Van Veghel accepted the silver award for website design for the New Canaan Education Association on behalf of Clinton McLeod.
“I see Jeanne-Marie as an expert teacher,” said Greenwich ESL teacher Kimberly Steinhorn. “While students are learning to read, write, speak, and listen in English, they are also learning what it means to be part of a community that values education, goal-setting, integrity, and generosity. Jeanne-Marie plans her lessons with attention to the needs of our students and helps them understand their place in our world. She always accentuates what talent each student brings to the classroom and finds ways to make learning meaningful, memorable, and fun.”
Public Relations Awards
Local association newsletter and website designers and editors also took home awards at the RA.
The newsletter awards were conferred as follows: Kate Tobin, Stamford Education Association, gold; Sara Tamborello, West Hartford Education Association, silver; and Kim Jones, Stafford Education Association, bronze.
Website awards went to Jason Pantages, South Windsor Education Association, gold; Clinton McLeod, New Canaan Education Association, silver, and Jennifer Ledbetter, Stafford Education Association, bronze.
