The School of Education hosted its annual Celebration of Student Excellence on May 17 to recognize the Class of 2021 and the students who demonstrate exceptional contributions in and out of the classroom.
The School of Education recognized the achievements of students for the academic year at the school’s annual awards celebration held on May 17. The end-of-year celebration featured inside jokes, masked smiles, lots of cheering, fully vaccinated hugs, and Smitty’s ice cream.
School of Education Dean Ann Bullock commended the Class of 2021 for doing what no other School of Education senior class has done before them — teaching during a pandemic. To commemorate the year, seniors were gifted with T-shirts that said, “I survived teaching in a pandemic. What is your superpower?”
Students were also recognized for their exceptional contributions in and out of the classroom.
Outstanding Student Achievements
Arnold Strauch Award Recipients
Ten outstanding seniors were honored for their exceptional contributions in and out of the classroom with the Arnold Strauch Award. Those honored meet the highest academic standards, demonstrate superior student teaching performance and high levels of professionalism, and have a great potential for contributing to the field of education. This year’s recipients are:
- Katie Canty ’21, History with Teacher Licensure
- Emily Cefalu ’21, Early Childhood Education
- Madison Clark ’21, Elementary Education
- Tristen Cox ’21, Middle Grades Education
- Abbi Decker ’21, Elementary Education
- Madeline Gall ’21, Mathematics with Teacher Licensure
- Olivia Haley ’21, Music Education
- Emily McGranahan ’21, English with Teacher Licensure
- Samantha Penny ’21, Special Education
- Lexi Uknis ’21, Mathematics with Teacher Licensure
Adventure, Health and Physical Education Major of the Year
This award recognizes outstanding students in the Adventure, Health and Physical Education major with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who have distinguished themselves in areas of academic, professional development, service and leadership.
This year’s recipient is Madeline Brislenn ’22.
Janie P. Brown Emerging Professional Award
The Janie P. Brown Emerging Professional Award, is in honor of Janie P. Brown, Professor Emerita of Physical Education, who dedicated 39 years to Elon University, where she served as chair of Elon’s Physical Education Department for 20 of those years, received the Daniels-Danieley Award in 1995 and the Elon Medallion in 2006, and has often been described as a trailblazer in the advancement of women’s athletics at Elon.
The Janie P. Brown Emerging Professional Award is presented to a student who has a record of university involvement, service and professionalism. To be eligible, the student must be a rising senior, majoring in Adventure, Health and Physical Education and have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
This year’s recipient is Keri McGahren ’22.