TOP GRADES!
SE DELCO EDUCATOR TAKES HONORS FROM PHILLIES, NATIONAL LIBERTY MUSEUM:
PHILADELPHIA » A Southeast Delco School District educator scored top honors times two this week from both the Philadelphia Phillies and the National Liberty Museum.
Stephanie Freeman of Nether Providence, a social worker for students in kindergarten through eighth grade at Darby Township Elementary School, was honored by the Philadelphia Phillies Monday night at their home game against the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the 21st annual Teacher Appreciation Night. She will also be honored, in an unrelated ceremony, on Saturday, May 8, as one of ten selected teachers from across the Delaware Valley who will receive The National Liberty Museum’s prestigious Teacheras-Hero-Award.
After a challenging school year filled with hybrid learning and zoom lessons, the top teachers in the region received muchdeserved honor from the Phillies and their fans. The top ten Phillies All-Star Teachers from 2021, along with those from 2020, were recognized as part of the 21st annual Teacher Appreciation Night powered by Constellation, a leading competitive energy provider. The teachers, intentionally honored during the annual Teacher Appreciation Week (May 3-7), were selected from hundreds of nominations sent to the Phillies by their current and former students, parents and peers. Freeman, a 2021 honoree, was nominated by her colleague, Darby Township Elementary School Principal LeAnne Hudson.
“Darby Township School has many challenges, but Stephanie Freeman wears a super hero cape and constantly flies in to help support our students and families,” Hudson wrote in the nomination.
As a social worker, Freeman runs social skills groups for the school’s selfcontained, emotionally disturbed students. During the month of February, Freeman fostered an appreciation for diversity by having students complete Black History Month projects. She taught students about various historical figures and developed the social skills needed to present the projects in front of others. Freeman also teaches students skills to resolve conflicts respectfully and peacefully and how to make good choices.
“Mrs. Freeman explains rights and responsibilities to students and holds students accountable,” wrote Hudson. “She understands that some of our students have financial limitations so she has gone above and beyond to find resources for struggling students. By removing some of these barriers, Mrs. Freeman is able to hold students to high standards of behavior and decorum. Mrs. Freeman’s extensive knowledge of available community resources has helped provide our families with necessary resources. Mrs. Freeman cares about our students as if they are her family.”
Hudson said that Freeman often makes house visits and calls family members to check in.
“When a family experienced several deaths in one
year, Mrs. Freeman worked with the mom through her depression,” Hudson recounted. “In order to help our students, we sometimes need to help the parents first. Similarly, Mrs. Freeman worked diligently with a family when she found out the mother was struggling with mental illness and her children were failing school. Mrs. Freeman went to the home and to appointments with the mom to guarantee every member of the household was taken care of. Mrs. Freeman has truly made a difference in the lives of our students. The heart she has for our students provides the perfect amount of understanding and compassion necessary to be an effective teacher of social skills.”
Freeman has been a social worker for 25 years. Before working as a social worker in various school districts in Delaware County and Chester County, Freeman had a 20 year career as a social worker at CrozerChester Medical Center in the Emergency Department and trauma unit. She began servicing the Southeast Delco School District in April of 2019.
As part of the tribute, the Phillies All-Star Teachers were recognized prior to the start of the game both from the Rooftop of Ashburn Alley, as well as on PhanaVision.
Only a few days later, Freeman will “take two” when she joins nine other educators to receive a prestigious Teacher As Hero Award at The National Liberty Museum (NLM) at its annual Teacher as Hero Award event, sponsored by State Farm. The ten outstanding Delaware Valley educators will be honored at the virtual award ceremony Saturday, May 8 from 1 – 2 p.m. Registration for the zoom link is available by https://16291.blackbaudhosting.com/1629½021Teacher-as-Hero-Award.
The Teacher as Hero Award recognizes outstanding educators who represent best practices in teaching and serve as role models to their colleagues and students. The award winners will become part of a dedicated Museum exhibit for an entire year. Their achievements and inspiring stories will be shared with the tens of thousands of visitors who come to the museum from across the region and from all over the world. In addition to being celebrated in an exhibit, the winners will receive a family membership to the NLM, the teacher’s statement of excellence featured in the NLM’s 2021 Teacher as Hero exhibit, and a commemorative glass trophy. In addition, three winners, selected from the ten winners and announced at the ceremony, in the categories of Service Learning, Safety, and Overall Excellence in Teaching will each receive $500.
Freeman and the other nine winning teachers were chosen from among 40 national applications. Fellow educators, school administrators, students and community members nominated the teachers and shared stories of how they each made a positive impact in the community.
According to the National Liberty Museum, The Exceptional Teacher Award is presented to outstanding educators who leverage their excellence in teaching to make a difference in the lives of their students. These teachers are recognized for fostering an appreciation for diversity in the classroom, teaching students how to resolve conflicts responsibly, giving students a deeper understanding of the relationships between rights and responsibilities, and honoring student voices in the classroom and public spaces.
“We are thrilled that our Teacher as Hero Award has expanded to be a national award, with winners this year from four states. The teachers we are honoring are heroes for the work they do every day to inspire their students to preserve liberty by breaking down the barriers of prejudice and violence. These heroes in turn create future heroes in their students,” said Gwen Borowsky, executive director of the National Liberty Museum. “In this year when teachers have faced unprecedented teaching obstacles, these winners embraced the challenge – and conquered it with creativity, compassion and commitment.”
Stephanie Freeman is married to husband, Mark Freeman, Sr. and has four children: LaNae Watford, 27; Isaiah Freeman, 17, Mark Freeman, Jr, 36, and Andrew Freeman, 31. The honoree was born and raised in Media and attended Media Elementary School, Springton Lake Middle School, and is a member of Penncrest High School Class of 1990.
“I received All Delco for Track and Field in tenth grade,” the honoree stated. “That award that was really huge in my life at that time. “
Freeman went on to attend Coppin State College for three years on a track scholarship, then transferred to Temple University, where she graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. She then attended graduate school at Widener University, graduating with a Master’s degree in Social Work. She also obtained a Home and School Visitor certification and Trauma certification from Widener University.
“Receiving these honors has motivated me to continue to work harder to help support the needs of our students and families during these challenging times,” Freeman said. “I am so humbled and overwhelmed to receive these honors.”