"Yes Tony Mullen Can !!!!!"
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The CCSSO has just sent a press release stating that:
President Obama will announce, on Tuesday, Tony Mullen as the 2009
NATIONAL Teacher of the Year!
See attached for the National Release as well as a Greenwich
Release/Invitation to a Reception/Press Conference on May 4th to
congratulate Tony upon his return from D.C.!
This information is EMBARGOED per the National Teacher of the Year program
until 12:01AM tomorrow, Monday, April 27, 2009.
This means no web, no radio, no TV until AFTER midnight tonight!
Thanks!
Kim
Kim Eves
Director of Communications
Greenwich Board of Education
290 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
http://www.greenwichschools.org/
Phone: 203-625-7415
e mail: kim_eves@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Fax: 203-869-8003
PRESS RELEASE 1 OF 2
Page 1
http://www.greenwichschools.org/
DISTRICT’S DISTINGUISHED TEACHER NAMED
NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR!
Community Reception and Press Conference Planned
EMBARGOED for release : 12:01AM, Monday, April 27, 2009
(GREENWICH, CT - Monday, April 27, 2009) President Barack Obama will announce Greenwich, Connecticut’s Distinguished Teacher, Anthony Mullen as the 2009 National Teacher of the Year at a White House ceremony on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Please see accompanying press release from the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year Program. Mr. Mullen is in Washington D. C. this week for the announcement and Gala celebration with State Teachers of the Year from across the country. Upon his
return to the District, on Monday, May 4, 2009 the Greenwich Public Schools and their co-sponsors will host a congratulatory reception for Mr. Mullen open to the Greenwich community.
The press and community are invited to attend:
A COMMUNITY RECEPTION TO HONOR & CONGRATULATE
Mr. Anthony Mullen: 2009 National Teacher of the Year
Monday, May 4, 2009
4:00pm – 4:40pm Speakers
4:40pm-5:00pm Press Conference
4:40pm-5:30pm Reception
Arch School @ Milbank, 180 East Elm Street, Greenwich, CT
The reception and related activities are co-sponsored by
The Greenwich Board of Education and Public Schools, The Greenwich Distinguished Teachers Awards Committee, The Greenwich High School PTA and The Greenwich Alliance for Education
Important Notice to Press:
Kim Eves, Director of Communications, Greenwich Public Schools at 203-625-7415 or kim_eves@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Reporters/Photographers that arrive at Arch School without an appointment will not be granted access or an interview.
Press Release 2 Of 2
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE, 12:01AM, MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2009
CCSSO Contacts:
Jon Quam, 202-336-7047
Andy Drewlinger, 202-336-7011
ING Contact:
Audria Belton Benn, 770-980-5715
Connecticut Special Education Teacher to be Named
National Teacher of the Year at White House Ceremony
Washington, DC, April 27, 2009 – “A teacher can receive no greater reward than the knowledge
that he or she helped recover a lost student.”
That statement by Anthony Mullen comes from a lifetime of service in the public sector, first as a New York City police officer and then, to further transform the fractured lives of young people in crisis, as a teacher and mentor of teenagers who truly need a second chance.
Because of his innovative approach, community focus, and teamwork with other teachers,
Mullen will be named 2009 National Teacher of the Year by President Barack Obama at a White
House ceremony on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Also recognized at this event will be the 2009
state teachers of the year.
The National Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the ING Foundation, is a project of
the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). CCSSO is a nationwide, nonprofit
organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in
the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S.
extra-state jurisdictions.
“Mullen is exactly the type of educator we want to acknowledge. He
believes in and encourages collaboration between and among teachers and school leaders as
he knows this brings the right focus on the student,” said Gene Wilhoit, executive director of
CCSSO. “We at CCSSO are supportive and working toward creating a collaborative and
student-centered 21 st century educator development system and are pleased to have our
National Teacher of the Year reflect our values and direction in this area of work.”
The National Teacher of the Year Program focuses public attention on teaching excellence and
is the oldest and most prestigious awards program for teachers. According to Rhonda Mims,
president of the ING Foundation, ING is proud to collaborate with CCSSO to celebrate the
national and state teachers of the year.
"We applaud Mr. Mullen and all the state teachers of the
year for their efforts to advance education. ING is committed to honoring excellence in
education, and it’s important that we support all educators who are empowering our children to
achieve a better future for themselves,” Mims said.
Mullen, a ninth through twelfth grade special education teacher at The ARCH School, an
alternative education branch of Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut, is the 59 th National Teacher of the Year. He will begin a year as a full-time national and international
spokesperson for education on June 1, 2009.
Providing passion, professionalism and perseverance are the keys to his drive as an educator.
As Mullen explains, of all three: ”passion is the noblest of the trio because it ignites a flame too
bright to be ignored by students. A teacher must project passion in the classroom because this
powerful emotion sparks the learning process in children and motivates them to remember key
concepts and ideas. Students can feel the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity radiating from a
teacher and realize that what is being taught is important and worthwhile.”
“Professionalism,” he says, “means that teaching is an avocation and not a vocation. The
professional teacher must move beyond existing models of educational theory and philosophy
and become an artist and a creator. Teachers are entrusted with the task of creating intelligent,
ethical, and productive young adults--a job achieved by understanding the many shades and
hues of children and how they learn.”
And for Mullen perseverance is the ability to teach any student, particularly children diagnosed
with behavioral and emotional disabilities. Such students “slide quickly down the ladder of ‘a
continuum of educational services’ until they land in self-contained classrooms or drop out,” he
says. “These students desperately want teachers to colorize their black and white world but are
unable to convey their unique needs. Teachers must find the resolve to teach and mentor these
fragile students because we represent hope and the promise of a better tomorrow.”
Sharon Turshen, the Greenwich district’s assistant director of pupil personnel services, is
especially impressed with Mullen’s ability to connect with his students. “He establishes rapport
with students who have not been able to develop relationships with other adults in school, and
in many cases, at home as well.” she says. “He commands such respect in the classroom that
students exhibit few, if any, behavioral issues. His teaching style, high behavioral expectations
and concern for his students have resulted in a classroom environment that is focused on
learning and mutual respect.”
Turshen adds, “Mr. Mullen is a master teacher who seems to have a natural ability to engage
and motivate students and push them to perform at levels higher than they thought possible. As
a result of Mr. Mullen’s strong skills and success with students, other teachers have come to
observe him teach and he has served as a mentor and coach to staff. In all he does, Mr. Mullen
approaches his work with extraordinary effort, a commitment to serving youth, professionalism,
high expectations, humor, a flexible cooperative attitude, and a smile on his face. He is an
outstanding professional who has earned the respect of all with whom he works and has
positively affected the lives of students.”
Mullen was born in New York City, in the Bronx, on May 7, 1960, and graduated in 1978 from
Flushing High School in Flushing, NY. Due to family circumstances when he was young,
college attendance along with a desire to become a teacher were deferred for full-time work,
first in a factory assembly line then for 20 years as a New York City police officer, all the while
saving money out of his salary to eventually go to college. At the time he was ready for higher
education he chose Long Island University because its program accommodated the fluctuating
schedule of police officers and fire fighters. He received a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice
from the University in 1990.
Continuing through the 1990s with the NYPD, Mullen had many opportunities to work with
troubled teenagers--young people he describes as “destined for prison unless they received the
benefits of a quality education and positive adult role models.” He wanted to be that role model
so consequently he earned a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education
from Mercy College in New York in 2001.
Retiring from the police department because he wanted to teach and mentor teenagers who needed a second chance, Mullen says, “I actively sought teaching positions that included the job description ‘working with students with severe behavioral or emotional problems.’ I knew that my biography and work experience would provide me the empathy and skills necessary to help such young people.”
During his first year of teaching in 2001-2002, Mullen taught special education in grades seven
and eight at Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Yorktown
Heights, New York. He then went to The Arch School where he has taught for the past seven
years.
He is married to Susan Mullen and they have three children, John, Andrea, and Thomas.
A committee of representatives from 15 national education organizations chooses the National
Teacher of the Year from among the state teachers of the year, including those representing
American Samoa, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the District of Columbia,
Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The other 2009 National
Teacher of the Year finalists are Alex Kajitani, a mathematics teacher at Mission Middle School
in Escondido, California; Susan Elliott, an English and social studies teacher at Highlands
Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado; and Cynthia Cole Rigsbee, a reading
teacher at Gravelly Hill Middle School in Efland, North Carolina.
State teachers of the year are selected on the basis of nominations by students, teachers,
principals, and school district administrators throughout the states. Applications are then
submitted to CCSSO, where the national selection committee reviews the data on each state
candidate and selects the four finalists. The selection committee then personally interviews
each finalist before naming the National Teacher of the Year.
Additional information on the National Teacher of the Year Program can be accessed at http://c/Documents+and+Settings/jonq/Local+Settings/Temporary+Internet+Files/OLK8/www.ntoy.org.
About the Council of Chief State School Officers:
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit
organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in
the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S.
extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on
major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues
and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress,
and the public.
ABOUT ING:
ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, investments, life insurance
and retirement services to over 85 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 40 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 125,000 people, ING is dedicated to setting the standard in helping our clients manage their financial future...
services to retail and institutional clients, which includes life insurance, retirement plans, mutual
funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment
management, annuities, employee benefits, financial planning, and reinsurance. ING holds top-
tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 29 million customers across the nation.
ING’s diversity management philosophy and commitment to workforce diversity, diversity
marketing, corporate citizenship and supplier diversity fosters an inclusive environment for
employees that supports a distinctive product and service experience for the financial services consumer.
About the ING Foundation
The ING Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life in the communities where ING
operates and its employees and customers live. Through charitable giving and employee
volunteerism, the foundation focuses on sustainable programs in the areas of financial literacy,
children's education and diversity.
For more information, visit http://www.ing-usafoundation.com/.
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