Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) celebrated the outstanding staff, schools, community partners, and alumni throughout the district — those making a difference in the lives of students and families — during the 2022 Hall of Fame Awards on Nov. 18.
The annual event was presented by the Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation and sponsors Apex Benefits, Faegre Drinker, First Student, MDWise and J.S. Held.
IPS Superintendent Dr. Aleesia Johnson presented the awards. The event host was Katiera Winfrey, the multicultural reporter for WISH-TV.
Awards and the recipients included:
- Volunteer in Action: Mary “Tessie” Lloyd-Jones, a former Harshman Middle School teacher.
- Community Partner in Action (presented by MDWise): Mary Stumpp, “The Can Lady.”
- Outstanding Staff Member: Grover Edwards, a behavior specialist at Harshman Middle School.
- Teacher of the Year: Paige Sjoerdsma, IPS | Butler Lab School 55.
- Principal of the Year: Daria Parham, head of Paul I. Miller School.
- Engaging School: James A. Garfield School 31. Accepting the award was Principal Adrienne Kuchik.
- Excellence in Innovation: Simon Youth Academy. Accepting the award was Principal Robert Moses.
Individuals receiving the Inspiring Award and inducted into the IPS Hall of Fame included:
- Andrea Neely, president and CEO of the Simon Youth Foundation and a 1981 graduate of Shortridge High School.
- Judge Brenda Roper, Center Township Small Claims Court of Marion County, Ind. and a 1985 graduate of Howe High School,.
- Kristian Stricklen, President of the Madam Walker Legacy Center and a 1991 graduate of Broad Ripple High School.
Also receiving the Inspiring Award posthumously are the founders of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. at Butler University — the only historically Black sorority to be established at a predominantly white institution. The founders were: Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little, Dorothy Hanley Whiteside, Vivian Irene White Marbury, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae Annette Dulin Redford, Bessie Mae Downey Rhoads Martin, and Cubena McClure. Accepting the award was Brandi London, president of Alpha Sigma Chapter.
The annual IPS Hall of Fame Awards were presented by the Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation, which partners with the district to help provide opportunities for area businesses to support schools and programs.
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