Congratulations to CherylAnne Amendola, Middle School History Department Chair and Middle School Ethics Coordinator, who was named the 2023-2024 Middle Level Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and its Board of Directors. Presented annually to a teacher who has made outstanding contributions in teaching social studies to middle school students, this prestigious award emphasizes the alignment of the NCSS mission with CherylAnne’s commitment to strengthening and advocating for social studies.

A published author and recipient of MKA’s Founders’ Cup for Teaching Excellence in 2022, CherylAnne has been teaching at MKA for 17 years. Head of Middle School Carlaina Bell has worked alongside CherylAnne for all of those years, and she shared, “CherylAnne is a master teacher who lives and breathes teaching history to young people. She expertly leads her department to embrace the challenge of helping our Middle School students process what is occurring in the world around them and empower them to be engaged citizens who question and lead change. Her energy, enthusiasm, and joy for teaching and learning are always present. We are very fortunate to have her!” 

CherylAnne was formally presented with her award at the NCSS Annual Conference in Nashville in December. She acknowledged the collaborative nature of teaching and expressed gratitude to her mentors, colleagues, friends, and family who have supported her throughout her career.  She emphasized the collective effort that contributes to a teacher's success and remarked, “No teacher works alone, and this award is a testament to that.” The MKA community joins in celebrating CherylAnne’s well-deserved recognition, acknowledging her dedication to shaping informed and engaged students.