Montclair Teacher Nominated For ‘LifeChanger’ Award

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A Bradford School third grade teacher was recently nominated for the 2016-17 national LifeChanger of the Year Award.

According to a news release from the National Life Group Foundation (NLGF), Bradford School third grade teacher Denise Macaluso received a nomination for the award, which recognizes and rewards the K-12 public and private school educators and employees across the United States who are “making a difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership.”

The NLGF stated that Macaluso was nominated by Bradford School principal, Naomi Kirkman.

“Ms. Macaluso is an outstanding third grade teacher who inspires her students through her own contagious enthusiasm for learning,” Kirkman said. “She recognizes the strength and potential of each and every student, and she has a knack for bringing out the best in them, no matter the extent of their individual needs or weaknesses. She works tirelessly to challenge students in new ways and be their biggest cheerleader.”

According to the NLGF:

"As a teacher, Macaluso provides her students with meaningful, rich hands-on learning experiences that connect learning to real life. Kirkman cited an engineering project as an example, where students work in teams to design and build the strongest bridge they can out of popsicle sticks. The class fills a bucket with pennies and connects it to each bridge to see which one can bear the most weight.

"Macaluso was also recognized for her leadership skills outside the classroom. She mentors other teachers and student teachers, leads professional development sessions, serves as the math subject matter leader and formulates the master schedule. In addition, she presents to parents at PTA meetings on both the Language Arts and Math curriculum. She also takes the initiative to seek outside funding for resources and was able to purchase Kindles for her class to increase reading engagement."

Each school year, the LifeChanger of the Year program receives hundreds of nominations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For 2016-2017, there will be a total of 15 individual LifeChanger of the Year awards.

In addition, a 16th prize, the “National Spirit Award,” is given to the school and nominee whose community demonstrates the most support for their nomination.

Each winner will receive a cash award that is split between the individual winner and their school. The national Grand Prize award is $10,000. Winners are announced via surprise award ceremonies held at their schools. The top five winners will also be honored at a national awards ceremony in Naples, Florida.

Winners will be announced in Spring 2017, the group stated.

Photo: National Life Group Foundation

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