Kean University Graduates Receive Top Honors as Student Teachers

Three recent Kean University graduates received the state’s highest awards for their work as student teachers during a ceremony held by the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NJACTE) and the state Department of Education (NJDOE). 

Each of the Kean graduates, who will begin teaching in New Jersey classrooms this fall, received a Commendation with Distinction in recognition of their outstanding performance during two semesters of clinical practice in schools across the state.  

"We are extremely proud of our Kean education graduates and their work as student teachers," said Sancha K. Gray, Ed.D., acting dean of Kean's College of Education and senior vice president for Entrepreneurial Education Initiatives. "Teachers help shape the future of the world, and I look forward to seeing the impact that our graduates will continue to have in classrooms across New Jersey and beyond."   

As part of their training, the student teachers, or clinical interns, worked side by side with seasoned cooperating teachers preparing lessons, teaching classes, conducting labs and serving as mentors and role models to their students.  

This year, 42 student teachers from 21 New Jersey colleges and universities were honored. Each institution was invited to nominate up to three candidates based on program size. Kean was the only institution to have three nominees recognized with distinction. 

The NJDOE and NJACTE also honored the cooperating classroom teachers, who opened their classrooms to support the student teachers’ professional growth. 

The three Kean graduates recognized with distinction, and their cooperating teachers, are: 

• Ashanty De La Cruz of Paterson, who earned her degree in elementary education K-6 and bi-cultural education. She worked with bilingual classroom teacher Rosa Paulino Plett in the Clifton School District’s School #12. 

• Madalynn DeBay of New Providence, who earned her degree in English education. She worked with English/language arts teacher Staci Toporek at Governor Livingston High School. 

• Olivia Marsiglia of Forked River, who earned a degree in biology education. She worked with biological science teachers Jennifer Fazzini and Jessica Kurtz at Toms River High School East. 

The awards ceremony was held at Kean for the second consecutive year. Karen Grove, director of the College of Education’s Office of Student Placement and Clinical Experiences, said hosting the event added to the pride of celebrating Kean’s student teachers and partners. 

"This annual ceremony supported by NJDOE is the highlight of the year for many of us in teacher preparation," Grove said. "It is very impressive that, for the second year in a row, all three of Kean's nominees were recognized as 'with distinction,' placing them in the top 15 candidates in the state. This recognition speaks volumes about the commitment of our faculty, staff and administration, the partnerships and collaborative work we do with our PK-12 school district partners, and of course, the quality and caliber of our College of Education students."  

For more information, visit the NJDOE website.