Sunday, March 21, 2010

Ms Cenac Named Charter School Teacher of the Year!

We are very proud to share that Ms Jodi Cenac (Dean of Academics and 7th/8th grade Science Teacher) has been selected as New Jersey Charter School Teacher of the Year!

Ms Cenac was presented with her award by Carlos Lejnieks, Chairman of the NJCSA Board of Trustees (left), and Dawood Farahi, Kean University President (right), at the Annual NJCSA Conference Gala in Long Branch on March 18th, 2010. 

During the award ceremony, Ms Cenac gave an inspiring acceptance speech that showcased her admiration for and love of our Pride Family of students, parents, and staff. This is a wonderful tribute to Ms Cenac's excellence, as well as to the strong professional learning community that we continue to build here at Pride Academy.

Ms Cenac is in her seventh year of teaching and is in her second full year at Pride Academy. Ms Cenac was inspired to become a teacher after reading Kozol's Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, a classic work on educational inequality. She is motivated by the desire to help all children achieve to their potential and to help them believe in themselves. Her career has been dedicated to education in urban settings.

Ms Cenac earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in education from Seton Hall University. She received her initial training through Teach for America, serving initially at an elementary school in Paterson.