CONGRATULATIONS

As the teacher running the STEAM lab and Makerspace at Blankner School while also teaching fifth-grade math and science, Jessica Sarduy wears a lot of hats. She has been instrumental in Blankner’s transformation into an Innovation School with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) since 2018. During the pandemic, that focus continued when she ensured students had materials to do at-home projects like creating Florida native gardens. Last year, she secured grants so Blankner students could do projects about the Everglades, resulting in a Gold-level Everglades Champion School recognition. Sarduy, who spoke Basque before learning English, makes sure her lessons are accessible to English-language learners, students with disabilities and gifted learners alike.

Since she was a child, Joy Cahow has known she wanted to teach. She was the first in her family to go to college, and she now inspires her own students to do the same. Even during the pandemic, she brought students who were one to two years below grade level up to proficiency in a single year. A leader among her peers, Cahow also has been a supervising teacher to five interns, and has used it as a model of instruction, conflict resolution and relationship building. She is also known for sponsoring a co-curricular group called Positiviti for third- through fifth-graders. Through team-building exercises and a focus on kindness, her program created a major improvement in school culture. She later expanded the program to second graders by sponsoring a group called the Kindness Series.