Inspiration Awards - May 8
Join us to honor teachers
NJoin us as we honor and recognize the 2013 Beard Award winners as well as 10 other incredible Bridgeport educators who are working to improve education in the city.
Past Award Winners
Since being established, the Beard Excellence in Teaching Award has honored the following Bridgeport teachers:
2012
Kathleen Sullivan, Central High School
Candice King-Sadler, Cesar Batalla School
2011
Kathryn Silver, Bassick High School
Dawn Schirizzo, Beardsley School
2010
Ron Rapice, Columbus School
Debra Wright, Jettie S. Tisdale School (runner up)
2008
Janice Blevins, Bassick High School
Stephen Taylor, Columbus School
2007
Joseph Carmen, Central High School
Sheena Graham-Owens, Harding High School
2006
Luz Malave, Elias Howe School
Victoria White, Waltersville Elementary School
2005
Janice Jones, Harding High School
Sam LaMonico, Central High School
2004
Daniel Babina, Harding High School
Ana Gonzalez-Batista, Elias Howe School
2003
Michael Belmonte, Harding High School
Herminio Planas, Elias Howe School
2002
Barbara Daniak, Wilbur Cross Elementary School
Joseph Lanier, Harding High School
"Equilibrium" shouted Kathleen Sullivan's chemistry class at Bridgeport's Central High School as their teacher almost toppled to the floor demonstrating how chemicals bond together to stay in balance. Ms. Sullivan is one of two 2012 winners of the Foundation’s Theodore and Margaret Beard Excellence in Teaching Award. She infects her classroom and school with enthusiasm and innovation.
Beard Excellence in Teaching Award
2013 Awards Ceremony is May 8
The Story of Theodore and Margaret Beard
Connecticut natives Theodore and Margaret Beard attended public schools through high school in Bethel and Danbury. They continued, throughout their lives, to believe in public education.
In 2002, together with the Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation, the Beard family developed the Theodore and Margaret Beard Excellence in Teaching Award, an endowed fund that recognizes a public school teacher in Bridgeport.
Since then, 18 Bridgeport teachers have been honored.
As part of the merged foundation, the Fairfield County Community Foundation is pleased and honored to continue this fine tradition.
About the Beard Award
The Theodore and Margaret Beard Excellence in Teaching Award was established in 2002 by the Beard family to recognize and reward teachers who exemplify professional excellence, a commitment to teaching and an ability to inspire learning among students, communities and colleagues. Theodore and Margaret Beard, former Bridgeport residents, were dedicated to quality public education and believed the most important job in society is that of the teacher.
Each year, up to two Bridgeport educators are recognized with the award, receiving an unrestricted cash award of $25,000. The Beard Excellence in Teaching Award is among the largest awards of its kind in the country.
The awards will be announced at the Inspiration Awards ceremony on May 8, 2013 in partnership with the Bridgeport Public Education Foundation.
The 2012 Winners
The 2012 Beard Award winners are Kathleen Sullivan, a chemistry teacher at Central High School and Candice King-Sadler, a first grade teacher at Cesar Batalla School.
Ms. King-Sadler has been a teacher in Bridgeport for six years and serves as the teacher leader for the Total Learning approach – mentoring eight of her colleagues.
Colleagues and peers consistently identify Ms. King-Sadler as having one of the most well-run classrooms in the school, an accomplishment achieved by building a community among her students and providing each student with responsibilities and specific roles.
Ms. Sullivan has been a teacher in Bridgeport for three years and serves as the learning team leader with Teach for America, mentoring and overseeing the professional development of more than a dozen new high school science teachers.
Ms. Sullivan creates clear, measurable objectives for each of her students and creates an atmosphere in her classroom which promotes inquiry, discovery and open and active dialogue.
Fairfield County Community Foundation
383 Main Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851-1543