MCPSS Announces Award Winners

The Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) recently announced that two schools in the system and the three counselors who serve them were honored with the highest recognition of achievement for school counselors. Pillans Middle School, represented by counselors Malinda Gray and Darlene Lewis and principal Jacinda Hollins, and Scarborough Model Middle School, represented by Lewis, counselor Apryle Williams and principal Rashad Stallworth, were presented with the Recognized American School Counselor Association Model Program Award, a national honor given to schools dedicated to delivering data-driven, student-focused, solution-based school counseling programs. Pillans and Scarborough are the first two MCPSS schools to receive the annual award.

MCPSS also celebrated its 2021 Learning Leading Awards in a virtual ceremony. Among the honorees were Brooklyn Cranmore of O’Rourke Elementary School, Kensley Baker of B.T. Washington Middle School and Lane Stefurak of Davidson High School. Teachers of the Year Julie Neidhardt of Hutchens Elementary School; Anna Mouton of Clark-Shaw School of Math, Science and Technology; and Deborah Pippin of Citronelle High School were also honored. Neidhardt is also one of four finalists for the Alabama State Teacher of the Year award. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and a past winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Education. An MCPSS educator for 22 years, she established a space for collaborative science lessons, the Nurturing Engineering, Science, and Technology lab, at Hutchens. She recently moved into a new role as a science curriculum specialist for MCPSS. The Alabama Teacher of the Year, who serves as an ambassador for education and teachers around the state, is to be announced in August.