Westfield Educators Receive Prestigious Recognition
Westfield Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Supervisor Shawna Longo is among 30 music educators (10 nationwide) to receive the 2023 Music Teachers of Excellence award from the Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation.
According to its website, the CMA Foundation was established in 2006 to recognize the importance of music education in the classroom. Longo received the award while a general music teacher in the Hopatcong Borough Schools before joining the Westfield Public School District in August. She traveled to Nashville to accept the award on September 19.
Additionally, Westfield High School engineering/technology education teacher Laura Doyle is the recipient of the AeroEducate Teacher of the Year Award. For the past two years, Laura and a team of educators from around the country have developed aviation-based STEM activities for K-12 students, which are shared on AeroEducate’s website.
This summer, Doyle traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to attend AirVenture, an annual airshow and four-day gathering of aviation enthusiasts, at which she facilitated activities for students and teachers in the AeroEducate Center. Laura was presented with the award on the last day of AirVenture, after she had co-presented hands-on activities for more than 100 educators who attended “Teacher Day” to hear from aviation-based educational organizations.
“Congratulations to Mrs. Longo and Mrs. Doyle on these prestigious recognitions,” says Superintendent Dr. Raymond González. “Their exceptional contributions, and that of so many other members of our staff, enrich the educational experiences and the lives of our students.”
Courtesy photos
