Harlem Teacher Wins $25K Award For Excellence: Secures $10K For School

HARLEM, NY — A Harlem chemistry teacher was recently honored with an award and cash prize for his work within a community school.

William "Billy" Green, a chemistry teacher at A. Phillip Randolph Campus High School at 443 W. 135th St., was one of six grand prize winners for the FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence.

Green will receive a $25,000 cash prize, and the Harlem school will also get a $10,000 grant.

"Green believes elevating student voices is essential to creating a school community where students feel seen, heard, and understood," reads a news release about the award. "In his classroom, he will often have student teams teach specific lessons to one another, finding students often have new ways of conveying content that is more relatable to their peers."

Green also has his students host monthly professional development for the science department, where the workshops are designed for teachers to learn from students.

He additionally looks to incorporate the arts in his teaching, especially dance.

Green will be traveling to Poland this summer under a fellowship from the Auschwitz Foundation, in order to research primary sources and expand his curriculum for his lessons on the Holocaust.

Last summer, he went to Accra, Ghana, with the Opus Dance Theatre to learn more about arts-in-education.

In 2023, there were more than 1,330 submissions from students, parents, principals, and teachers, before it was whittled down to 35 semifinalists, and then ten finalists.

“Educators play such a huge part in our children’s lives, and they deserve recognition for their impact on the future lives of their students,” said Glenn Fuhrman, Co-Founder of The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, in a news release. “We are grateful to recognize these hard-working and inspiring NYC public school teachers. Our children are in great hands with these teachers guiding them.”

Read More: How A Harlem Arts Nonprofit Continues To Flourish In A Local School