Honoring Exceptional Educators
An integral part of the Decatur Education Foundation’s mission is to recognize and celebrate the exceptional educators who support the youth of Decatur. Your generous contributions enable us to foster an environment where our outstanding educators are celebrated and empowered to make a lasting difference for our youth.
The Clarence Strickland Make a Difference Award was established by a Decatur family to honor Clarence Strickland, former head custodian at Decatur High School, who helped their child in a time of crisis. This annual award acknowledges a CSD employee who has shown exceptional caring and compassion to ensure the well-being and safety of a student in need. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2023-2024 school year until July 8, 2024 by clicking here: https://forms.gle/T5XiZQTwehkAEfEHA
The Miles Above Award was established in 2021 by Sam and Leah Jenness to honor their son’s kindergarten teacher, Laura Pitts, who acted with extraordinary kindness and bravery in the face of tragedy. Miles’ life was taken too early in 2018 when he was involved in a fatal car crash, and Laura was there every step of the way to support the family and the kindergarten students trying to make sense of it all.
The award will be given annually to a Pre-K – 5th Grade teacher, paraprofessional or CSD staff person who goes “miles above” their job description in showing extraordinary kindness and compassion for a child and/or their family during challenging circumstances, inside or outside of the classroom. Nominations for this award are now being accepted for the 2023-2024 school year until July 8, 2024 by clicking here: https://forms.gle/J9N3djPPLdk477x89
The Carriere Family Scholarship for Teachers, established in 2007 by Jane Carriere, former mathematics educator with the City Schools of Decatur, encourages excellence in mathematics, science, and special education. The scholarship aids Decatur teachers pursuing advanced degrees with a specialized focus in one or more of these areas.
Each year, the Decatur Education Foundation and the City Schools of Decatur recognize outstanding educators and staff members with the Teacher of the Year and Professional Employee of the Year awards.
DEF’s Extra Mile Awards are heartfelt acknowledgments of the extraordinary support provided by City Schools of Decatur faculty and staff — and the best part is that these awards are initiated by our own students! Nominations come from students who share personal accounts of educators and staff members who have gone above and beyond.