Eight
educators and administrators – ranging from 3rd grade
teacher at a public school to assistant dean at a university – will
be honored Friday, Sept. 16 at the St. Louis American Foundation’s
2011 Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards
Gala. The dinner and gala will be held at the America’s
Center.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Carolyn Blair: changing lives “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Carolyn Blair, M.Ed., has been in the education field for 19 years and has worked in the Clayton School District for 10 years. Blair is currently the Counseling Services Director for Clayton High School.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She works with students through the college admission process – from finding the college that is the best fit, to testing and essay writing. She also visits higher-education institutions and works closely with colleges and universities to make sure that the students at Clayton High School have access to the best information while making that important decision.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Between traveling to college campuses and sitting on advisory boards for several schools and the ACT, she said the many commitments of her position pose “a challenge.” But the rewards of her job, in helping students and their families, are many.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“The greatest reward is knowing that you can actually affect the course of someone’s life in a positive way,” Blair said. “Sometimes they know that you’ve done that and sometimes they don’t, but either way it’s equally as rewarding.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Nikki Doughty: a force for education “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Nikki Doughty, MA, is the Director of Admissions, Alumni Relations and Placement at City Academy. City Academy is an independent school in North St. Louis founded on the belief that family income should not determine a child’s access to an exceptional education.
City Academy serves students from early
childhood through grade six. Doughty is heavily involved in making
sure these students find the best school that fits their needs when
they graduate.
Doughty, from an early age, was active in the
St. Louis community. She began volunteering at the YMCA at age 14
and assisted with the United Way’s Partner with Youth Campaign to
raise scholarship funds.
After a stint working for the Democratic Party
in Georgia, she returned to St. Louis for a family commitment – and
has stayed to help improve the region through her civic involvement
and educational efforts.
She said, “In St. Louis, many families don’t
have access to innovative, affordable educational programming.” She
believes City Academy is part of the solution: “We want to be a
force and work to really provide quality education to students in
the area.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Latasha M. McClelland: blending old with new “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Latasha M. McClelland, M.Ed., is a 3rd grade teacher at Lexington Elementary School. She is a native of St. Louis and a product of the Normandy School District and Harris-Stowe State College (now university).
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>While continues to pursue advanced degrees and certification, including a Masters of Educational Administration at University of Missouri–St. Louis, she also serves Lexington as lead teacher and building administrator.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She is an active member of First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, where she sings in the Inspirational Choir and works to promote the church’s global outreach ministries.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Education gives me an opportunity to give back to my community and to help my students, my school and my community,” she said. “No one is ever too old or too young to learn.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She appreciates the support of her principal, Barbara Anderson: “She allows me to take some old-school styles, if I can say that, and blend in some new styles.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>For example, McClelland employs the old-school strategy of having students write information on the board and commit it to rote memory. “But once we’ve we learned our multiplications, now let’s put it in a rap,” she said. “That would be the old blended with the new.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Michelle McClure: in love with education “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Michelle L. McClure, PhD, serves as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Harris-Stowe State University. She provides leadership over Center for Retention and Student Success, University Library, student academic grievances and university schedules and bulletins.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She also is a member of the campus expansion committee and supervised a university-wide renovation project to upgrade technology and classrooms.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She started her journey in higher education as a political science major at Truman State University with the intention to become a lawyer. But education made her want to be an educator.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I received such great education and met such fantastic people along the way, particularly at college – people who cared so much about me and didn’t even know me,” she said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“The fact that they cared so much about me and my success, I couldn’t believe you could get paid for something like that! So I decided to pursue a career in higher education.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>After earning her Master’s of Arts in education from Truman State, McClure became an education professor at Marquette University then moved to Harris-Stowe.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I’m a first-generation college student,” she said. “Regardless that they didn’t have an opportunity, my parents were determined to push us to college. Fortunately, I went to college and fell in love with education and made it a career.” “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Art J. McCoy: eliminating disparities “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Art J. McCoy II, PhD, is just a few months into his new job as school superintendent at Ferguson-Florissant School District, where he most recently served as assistant superintendent. The district is the learning hub for approximately 12,000 students in North County.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Previously, McCoy served as executive director of student services in Rockwood School District, director of the gifted program in Pattonville Schools, and a middle school administrator and principal in St. Charles School District. He started off as the state’s youngest certified teacher at age 19.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>McCoy is an adjunct university professor, book author and founder of the SAGES Organization, which focuses on eliminating educational achievement gaps.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>He is a member of numerous boards and organizations, including the National Superintendent’s Roundtable, Urban Superintendents of America Association and University of Missouri St. Louis Education Leadership Council.
McCoy said, “I’ve been blessed to be able to
combine hard work with opportunity and a passion to not be afraid
to take risks, to stand up for what’s right and what’s most
affecting communities that are impoverished or underserved.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Marsha Merry: literature as bridge
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Marsha Yvonne Merry, NBCT, has been in the education field for 33 years. She began as an English teacher, teaching high school English for 20 years. For the past 14 years, Merry has been the Library Media Specialist at McKinley Classical Leadership Academy in the St. Louis Public Schools.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Merry is a product of SLPS. It was at Cupples School that she developed a love for learning, and she particularly enjoyed literature.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“It parallels with so many other things,” Merry said. “It helps connect a bridge to other subjects.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Merry has been the recipient of many honors and awards including being a National Board Certified teacher, one the highest achievements in the field.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Having had such a long, successful career, Merry has seen her students grow into adults and continue on to gain success.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Merry said, “The biggest reward is to see your former students as adults, parents and productive citizens in the community – being able to have that impact in the family.” “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Natissia Small: serving students effectively
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Natissia Small, M.Ed., is the assistant dean for students at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She oversees the Office of Pre-Collegiate Programs, Bridge Program and the Office of Multicultural Relations.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Under Small’s leadership, the UMSL Bridge Program has experienced tremendous growth, expanding its outreach from serving a couple of hundred pre-collegiate students to reaching more than 2,000 families each year.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She is a frequent speaker on topics of parental involvement and access to college.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In her second area of responsibility, Small emphasizes faculty and staff involvement as mentors, tutors and supporters of multicultural programming activities for UMSL’s diverse student population.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“There is a huge need, when it comes to departments like this being able to serve students effectively,” Small said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Small serves the University of Missouri System on its P-20 Task Force and several committees.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Small has two master degrees from UMSL: in secondary school education with an emphasis in adult education and in counseling.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Small earned a “30 Leaders in their 30s Award” in 2010 and recognition as a 2011 UMSL Women’s Trailblazer. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Darnell P. Young: teaching by any means necessary “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Darnell P. Young, B.S., M.A., is a 7th grade earth science teacher at Crestview Middle School in the Rockwood School District, where he has taught for 27 years. Young also is a freshman boy’s basketball coach and a chess club leader for students in two districts, Jennings and Rockwood, on opposite ends of the county.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Chess teaches our kids to think critically and apply science process skills, such as making observations, forming a hypothesis, drawing conclusions, analyzing situations and being responsible for your own decisions,” Young said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Young has been nominated twice for Teacher of the Year at Crestview.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>He is a Northwest High School graduate who attended Harris-Stowe State College (now university) on a Board of Regents Scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Science in education and then a Master of Arts in teaching at Webster University.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>His philosophy on learning is that “education is a continuous process.” Added to that mantra is a quote attributed to Malcolm X: “By any means necessary.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Young said, “That means I will take a kid – wherever he’s at – and by any means necessary, I will get that kid to succeed.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The St. Louis American Foundation’s 2011 Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala will be held Friday, September 16, at the America’s Center, with the reception starting at 6 p.m. and program at 7 p.m. For information and tickets, please call 314-533-8000 or visit www.
“http://stlamerican.com/”>stlamerican.com
