2 R.I. teachers each receive $25K Milken Educator Award

Updated at 2:22 p.m. on Oct. 10, 2023

MALAREE SHIELDS, left, a North Kingstown High School science teacher, and Richmond Elementary School reading specialist Paige Leddy, third from left, each received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award on Tuesday. / COURTESY MILKEN EDUCATOR AWARDS

PROVIDENCE – A pair of local school teachers each received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award on Tuesday in surprise ceremonies at their respective schools in front of students, teachers, local and state education officials.

Malaree Shields, a North Kingstown High School science teacher, and Richmond Elementary School reading specialist Paige Leddy each received the national monetary gifts. Along with the $25,000 cash award, which Shields and Leddy each can use at her own discretion, the two local teachers will also attend a paid trip to the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in June 2024 to meet other such educators from across the country.

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Shields, Milken said, offers a collaborative classroom that encourages students to work together on various hands-on projects, incorporating real-life applications in her lessons to prepare students for future careers. Milken says Shields has her students build and program robots to navigate obstacle courses – and also leads North Kingstown High’s robotics team.

Shields also helps organize summer STEAM camps where students explore science through games and experiments, Milken said. STEAM stands for science, technology, eningeering, arts and math. Shields also coordinates career and technology education internships in engineering and connects with local industry leaders to organize workplace opportunities for students.

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“Malaree Shields is an innovator and role model for aspiring STEM students,” Jane Foley, a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator, said in a statement. “Her ability to adapt lessons to serve all learners shows an unwavering commitment to student success. I am thrilled to watch Malaree continue to grow as an educator. Her contributions will be a valued asset to the Milken Educator Network and the profession at large.”

Milken said Leddy provides extra assistance to students in a before-school reading program, which consistently yields high attendance and contributes to measurable schoolwide results. Last academic year, 82% of students in kindergarten and first grade performed at or above levels on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills assessment, Milken said. Additionally, 85% of Richmond Elementary students in grades 2-4 performed at or above level on the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Growth Measure.

Milken also said Leddy is involved in Ready Set Shine, a club serving students in need. By connecting with students’ families and the community, Leddy helps cultivate higher involvement in parent nights, parent-teacher organization projects and literacy learning at home, Milken said.

“Paige Leddy’s unwavering dedication to education and her students has illuminated the path to excellence in Rhode Island,” R.I. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said in a statement.

(UPDATED throughout to include information on Paige Leddy receiving a Milken Award.)

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.

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