AASA Civic Star Awards
The American Association of School Administrators and Sodexho, a food-services and facilities-management company based in Gaithersburg, Md., recently honored the Indian River School District in Selbyville, Del., as its national Civic Star Award winner. The award recognizes school districts that develop school- community programs. The district, which was selected from among 22 state-level winners,received a $10,000 award and a commemorative plaque.
Each state-level winner received a $5,000 award and a commemorative plaque. The state winners are listed below alphabetically.
Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska; Siloam Springs School District 21, Siloam Springs, Ark.; Yuma Union High School District #70, Yuma, Ariz.; Stamford Public Schools, Stamford, Conn.; Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami; Putnam County School District, Eatonton, Ga.; Madison School District, Rexburg, Idaho; Edwards County Community Unit #1, Albion, Ill.; Perry Central Community School Corporation, Leopold, Ind.; Ashland/Englewood Unified School Distruct 220, Ashland, Kan.; Elizabethtown Independent Schools, Elizabethtown, Ky.; Calcasieu Parish School System, Lake Charles, La.; Tahlequah Public Schools, Tahlequah, Okla.; Millcreek Township School District, Erie, Pa.; Cumberland School District, Cumberland, R.I.; Emery School District, Emery, S.D.; Memphis City School, Memphis, Tenn.; Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District, Harlingen, Texas; Hampton City Schools,Va.; Camas School District, Camas, Wash.; Sun Prairie Area School District, Sun Prairie, Wis.
Fordham Foundation Awards
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation recently honored three educators with its inaugural Excellence in Education Award. The award, which the foundation intends to award annually, recognizes educators, scholars, and policymakers who champion education reform through research or contributions at the national, state, or local level.
Anthony S. Bryk, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, and Paul E. Peterson, a professor of government at Harvard University, were awarded the Fordham Prize for Distinguished Scholarship. E.D Hirsch, Jr., a professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, received the Fordham Prize for Valor.
NAIS Leading Edge Awards
The National Association of Independent Schools has honored 12 schools with its Leading Edge Recognition Program Awards. The awards recognize independent schools for their achievements in technology, equity, and justice initiatives, community relations, and curriculum innovation. The winners will present their model programs at the association’s 2003 annual conference in New York City, and each program will be featured in NAIS print and online publications.
The winners are listed below by category.
Community Relations:
Norman Howard School, Rochester, N.Y.; Louise S. McGehee School, New Orleans; Mounds Park Academy, St. Paul, Minn.
Curriculum Innovation:
Caedmon School, New York City; The Madeira School, McLean, Va.; Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, N.J.
Equity and Justice:
The Chestnut Hill School, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; San Francisco University High School, San Francisco; Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia.
Technology:
Cold Spring School, New Haven, Conn.; St. Matthew’s Parish School, Pacific Palisades, Calif.; Northfield Mount Hermon School, Northfield, Mass.
Other Honors and Awards
Gene Buinger, the superintendent of schools for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District in Bedford, Texas, has been honored with the National PTA Life Achievement Award.
The award, which was presented by the district’s council of PTAs, recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding service to their community and schools.
Marion Joseph, a former member of the California state school board and an advocate of phonics-based reading instruction, was recently honored with the Rebel Without a Cause award by the Education Leaders Council.
The award recognizes individuals who challenge entrenched interests and champion new academic policies in the best interests of students. Ms. Joseph received a black leather jacket.
The Consortium for School Networking, a Washington-based organization that promotes the use of technology to improve K- 12 education, honored Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont with its 2003 Award for Excellence in Public Service.
The award recognizes elected or appointed national, state, regional, or local officials for their commitment to establishing technology and the Internet as a means of improving K-12 education.
