CVEF Honors Sue Michael with Howard Kelley Community Award

The Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation (CVEF) recently awarded high school science teacher and community activist Sue Michael with the Howard Kelly Community Award. "I am deeply, deeply honored," expressed Michael at the December 6 gathering in her honor. About 40 CVEF board and committee members, along with Michael's husband and several friends, were there.

Michael, a Durham resident, has taught science for 28 years. But, noted fellow-teacher Lorrie Martin, who nominated Michael for the award and introduced her at the event, that is really only one of many jobs she has taken on. 

"Peaceful, quiet and unassuming by nature," noted Martin, Michael is committed to her school and her community, where she "persistently, even tenaciously...pursues goal after goal, making the world around us all just a little bit better." 

At school, Michael is the Science Team leader. She has lead her team of eight in the development of a wide range of course offerings at the high school. She coaches the Envirothon Team and oversees the school's ECO club. When she's not doing the official work, she's taking on other challenges, such as establishing a salad bar in the cafeteria, organizing a better garbage-sorting station and maintaining gardens at the school

In the community, Michael is a member (and currently the chair) of Durham's Clean Energy Task Force - now prominently in the community news as ambassadors of the Solarize Durham project. In addition, she helped coordinate a Boy Scouts/ECO collaboration to recycle cans and bottles at the Durham Fair. With the assistance of a Rockfall Foundation grant, this recycling effort now includes the town's sports complex grounds, where students maintain the collection of cans and bottles. 

Ironically, Michael said she read about the Howard Kelley award in the newspaper, and she thought to herself, it would be "something to aspire to.....I always heard good things about him, and I'm sorry I never got to know him." Michael also expressed gratitude and thanks to her husband, Steve, her son and parents (not at the event), friend Jane Kinkead and fellow teacher Nancy Siedlecki, there to share her moment. She also praised CVEF, noting she has followed with interest the work and activities of the organization. "It is the perfect organization for me when I retire!"
Kelley, who passed away several years ago, was a founding board member of CVEF. The award was established in his memory to honor individuals in the community who, like him, embody the spirit of leadership in the community, particularly his devotion to volunteerism and education.
CVEF was founded in March 2008 as an independent education foundation. The mission of CVEF is to promote excellence, innovation and creativity in education for the community and to support lifelong learning in Durham and Middlefield by giving grants and sponsoring programs. For more information, please visit www.cvef.org.