The April Blount Blue Ribbon Award is named in honor of a phenomenal teacher and leader at The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Brooklyn. Ms. Blount began her journey there in 2010, and brought learning to life for all of her students, making it fun and magical for them while still holding them to high standards. In the summer of 2019, the TYWLS community lost Ms. Blount, yet her legacy and excellence live on.
To honor Ms. Blount’s accomplishments within her school and network community, each year Student Leadership Network recognizes one teacher from each TYWLS school with The April Blount Blue Ribbon Award based on criteria that uphold the Whole Girl Education model. Congratulations to this year’s April Blount Blue Ribbon Award recipients!
- Elizabeth Adkisson, TYWLS Brooklyn
- Lauren Donohue, TYWLS Staten Island
- Jasmine Lahoz, TYWLS Bronx
- Maegan Leger, TYWLS Manhattan
- Caitlin Stanton, TYWLS Astoria
- Janet Stephens, TYWLS Queens
April Blount’s Legacy
Every year, Ms. Blount formed impactful relationships with students, guiding them with wisdom, compassion, and patience through the turbulence of middle and high school and beyond. She mentored new teachers, thought partnered with experienced teachers, pioneered countless innovations to the science and advisory curricula, and always kept the best interests of the school community first.
She embodied teacher excellence and motivated everyone around her to continually improve their own pedagogy. Ms. Blount’s mark on the TYWLS community is indelible, and her model of how to teach and nurture our students continues to inspire our community to reach new heights.
The April Blount Blue Ribbon Award is awarded based on criteria that uphold the Whole Girl Education model, which Ms. Blount wholeheartedly believed in:
- Excellence in Teaching Girls: Someone who has embedded the three C’s of Connectedness, Competence, and Confidence into their teaching practice.
- Excellence in Providing High Impact Opportunities for Girls in STEAM: Someone who has blazed a trail to open new doors for students in these underrepresented areas.
- Excellence in the Promotion of Girls’ Leadership: Someone who has facilitated self-actualization and assisted young women in finding and using their voices for positive change.
- Excellence in Promoting Strong, Healthy Female Adolescent Development: Someone who has strongly impacted how students learn to care for themselves and develop a positive self-image.