Middle Schools Awards Night

Middle school educators, who help shape not only their students’ education but also many of the life choices that define their futures, occupy a special position within K–12 schools, UFT Vice President for Middle Schools Richard Mantell said as he welcomed members to the UFT’s second annual Middle Schools Awards Night.

“Elementary has the magic of firsts, and high school has the drama of lasts, but middle school is the part of the movie where the plot gets really complicated,” Mantell told the more than 200 members and guests who gathered at UFT headquarters on May 7. “These kids are somewhere between who they are and who they want to be.”

For making an impact during such a fragile period in young lives, nearly 40 members were honored for promoting student and community engagement, school culture, learning environment and personalized support.

Educating middle schoolers requires extraordinary flexibility and commitment and deserves to be celebrated, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said. The week of the awards night, for instance, the city Department of Education’s standardized testing systems crashed, leaving some middle schoolers unable to complete exams.

“Did we scream and say, ‘This is ridiculous’? No. We figured it out,” said Mulgrew, praising educators’ resilience.

Educators gathered in a Shanker Hall filled with fresh flowers for the occasion. Centerpieces made up of laminated photos of award-winners led guests to their tables.

Award-winners appreciated their colleagues’ recognition.

Alyson Lopez, who teaches 7th-grade science in an integrated co-teaching setting at JHS 259 in Brooklyn, received a Learning Environment Award for creating a classroom rooted in equity, compassion and high expectations. She continues pandemic-era social-emotional learning approaches to intentionally foster an inclusive and supportive environment for her students.

“For my co-workers to nominate me made me feel like the things I’m doing are valued and important,” Lopez said.

The value of union activism was also recognized by middle school educators.

Kyle Goodridge, a special education math teacher for 6th and 7th grades at the School of the Performing Arts in the Bronx, was nominated for his unflagging commitment to improve the school after a clash with school administration temporarily knocked him off track in his leadership program.

Goodridge, who wants to move into administration, said his prior work as a chapter leader as well as the conflict with administrators taught him a valuable lesson.

“A Ph.D. or a license doesn’t really teach you how to treat people with respect,” he said. “When I go into leadership, treating the staff with respect and building a community” will be crucial for creating a stable environment for students.

Honorees recognized at the event were not chosen because they had the easiest students or the fewest challenges, but rather because they remained committed to their students despite the challenges. “Amid all the chaos, you found a way to make a difference,” Mantell said. “Years from now, your students will remember that you believed in them.”