Recognizing Exceptional Educators Through Faculty Excellence Fellowships

MKA is thrilled to announce that Daniella Kessler, Spencer Pyke, and Phia Trinidad have been awarded 2025-2026 Faculty Excellence Fellowships. This prestigious program honors exceptional educators who exemplify MKA's commitment to outstanding teaching by offering substantial financial support for advanced educational degrees. It is intended to advance excellence in teaching as well as the school’s commitment to increasing the diversity of MKA’s faculty.

Recipients are carefully chosen by a selection committee that evaluates candidates based on their unwavering dedication to MKA’s mission, their academic, intellectual, and teaching excellence, and their commitment to developing social-emotional and inclusive teaching practices. Financial need, including current and past educational debt, is also a key consideration. Three fellowships are annually awarded: one for a new teacher within their first five years at MKA, and two for faculty members who have served at MKA for six or more years.

Faculty Excellence Fellowships are designed to make a faculty member’s commitment to both their own education and their MKA teaching career more affordable. This program is made possible through a lead gift by Linda and Brian Sterling, P’12, ’14. This philanthropically funded program remains a fundraising priority, and we are actively seeking support to ensure the ongoing recognition and financial support of our faculty every year.

Daniella began her career in education as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher and later returned to school for a Master of Education in Counseling Education. She was hired at MKA in September 2014 as the Middle School Counselor. After 10 years as MKA’s Middle School Counselor, Daniella took on the additional role of MKA’s Director of Counseling (tri-campus) in 2024. As part of her new role, she acts as the tri-campus Co-Director of Student Support Services (with Laura Demaria, the Director of Academic Support). Daniella’s Faculty Excellence Fellowship will assist her in paying down significant student debt incurred for both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. Daniella has pursued additional certification as a School Counselor (beyond her degrees), including an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Counseling and her State of New Jersey License as a Professional Counselor.

From Daniella: “As the Director of Counseling, I prioritize strong partnerships with parents through dedicated programming, collaborate closely with fellow campus counselors, coordinate with the academic support teams, lead community-wide education initiatives, and help implement an adaptive curriculum focusing on social and emotional learning. Central to this approach is my commitment to understanding and addressing the diverse needs of our student body, empowering them to navigate challenges and fostering their personal and academic growth. These priorities are not only integral to my role but also responsive to the ever-changing needs of our students in today's global context.”

From the Selection Committee: “Selection Committee members felt that your application was compelling and conveyed not only your varied experience but also your authentic focus on personal growth as a lifelong learner. Through the trust that you have built with both students and adults in the community, you have repeatedly demonstrated your powerful commitment to the MKA Learners in your care. As one Committee member noted, “Excellence and Daniella are synonyms.” Indeed, the Committee viewed your interview as added evidence that you provide the glue that keeps MKA together and are an MKA leader, not just of programs but of our community.”

Spencer began at MKA in September 2013. After 10 years at the Primary School, where he was a Recess Aide for four years while earning his master’s degree and then taught Kindergarten, he moved to the Middle School in the Fall of 2023 to join the Health, Wellness, and Physical Education Department, where he puts his Master of Science in Exercise Science and Sports Administration to direct use each day. Spencer has been a willing and avid coach of multiple sports at MKA, including football and baseball, and has most recently been learning along with his athletes as he has taken on the role of Varsity Golf Coach. Spencer will be taking on the role of Eighth Grade Dean this coming school year. With the Faculty Excellence Fellowship, Spencer will be able to pay off the debt he incurred in earning his master's degree.

From Spencer: “In the realm of physical education, I have been able to introduce the students to the importance of working outside their comfort zone with the implementation of sports that they may not have had the opportunity to experience. This has assisted in the transformation of our curriculum to be one of innovation and exploration. Multicultural education in the form of cricket, one of the world’s most popular sports, as well as the introduction of a new form of the game of soccer, Omega Ball, have allowed me the opportunity to encourage students to try something new, even if they may initially face challenges.”

From the Selection Committee: Selection Committee members felt your palpable energy and excitement when you spoke about teaching, supporting, and connecting with your students as a Kindergarten teacher; a Middle School Health, Wellness, and Physical Education teacher; and as a seasoned coach. Your application this year clearly modeled what it means to be a lifelong MKA Learner with your keen focus on continually improving your own work with students and helping your students to grow in the same ways. Your representation of your passion for teaching within the contexts of wonder and life balance impressed the Committee, and your commitment to MKA’s mission and the health of the MKA community as a whole was evident.

Phia Trinidad, Kindergarten Teacher

Phia began at MKA in September 2020, serving various roles in the MKA community before she formally joined the Kindergarten team in 2023. Phia co-advises the APPI Affinity Group at the Primary School and is serving on the tri-campus committee to revise the Community Belonging Statement of Purpose. Phia earned her Master of Teaching, Pre-K to 3 Program in May 2025 and was also recently accepted to the highly selective Klingenstein Summer Fellowship for Early Career Teachers (2025), where she will engage in graduate-level study in mind-brain education, inclusive pedagogy, and social-emotional learning. Phia will use her Faculty Excellence Fellowship to pay off her master’s degree costs.

From Phia: “I’ve been pushed to reconsider and unlearn long-held beliefs I carried from my own early education–beliefs that do not serve the students I teach today. What makes this degree especially meaningful is how immediately applicable it has been. I regularly learn something in class on a Tuesday night and try it out in my classroom the next morning. This ongoing loop of learning and experimentation has turned my classroom into a kind of lab–a place where theory and practice intersect. The support of my professors, the emphasis on culturally responsive teaching, and the space to reflect critically have helped me become a more intentional educator.”

From the Selection Committee: Selection Committee members were impressed with your insight and enthusiasm that shone through both in your application and in your interview. In a very competitive field of applicants, your deep and enduring commitment to being a lifelong MKA Learner and to the mission of the school truly stood out. You made it clear how your coursework has influenced the way you view your students and how you seek to adjust instruction to address their needs. And your impact on the Brookside community and MKA as a whole has been substantial in just a few short years. The Committee knows that you will continue to ask the “real” questions and to inspire all of us with your creativity and wisdom as you continue to shape your students’ and MKA’s future.