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Fair BOCES honors Jordan-Awalom, Freeport Educational Foundation
Both are named Education Partners
A Freeport school administrator and a village organization will receive two of the 15 Education Partner Awards presented this year by the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation.
Maria Jordan-Awalom and the Freeport Educational Foundation will be honored at an awards gala on May 10.
Jordan-Awalom, the president of the district Board of Education, is being lauded as one of the most devoted supporters of public education on Long Island. Since her election to the board in 2019, she has dedicated herself to three fundamental principles that she believes are the cornerstone of public education: diversity, equity and inclusion for all students.
According to the BOCES Educational Foundation, Jordan-Awalom has made informed decisions that promote the district’s goals, and ensure that every student receives the best education possible. She has focused on reducing taxes while maintaining and enhancing educational programs, and lobbied with local and state legislators for Freeport's fair share of funding. She has served on numerous committees and boards focused on community support, including Freeport Cares, Latino Community Leaders, the Freeport Educational Foundation and the Nassau County Police Commissioner’s Council.
“I definitely don’t do this for any awards or recognitions,” Jordan-Awalom said. “I’ve been involved with advocating for our students and our district for over 15 years. I do it for the love of our students and our community.”
Jordan-Awalom has spoken and acted on behalf of the region’s underserved populations, including the economically disadvantaged, displaced refugees, immigrants and English language learners, the BOCES Educational Foundation stated. She supports legislation, policies and practices that address the struggles of these communities, such as fair and equal access to education. She is among those who spearheaded Freeport’s advocacy efforts for equitable access to instruction and educational resources, making it one of the first districts to appoint a director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“I was involved through PTAs, and I was PTA Council president, just advocating all these years to make sure our students and our families always have the opportunities and the resources that are available to them,” Jordan-Awalom said, “making sure that they understand what advocacy means, which a lot of our families don’t.”
Her devotion to the district’s students and families goes beyond the classroom, said the BOCES Educational Foundation. She has supported programs that help families obtain necessities like food, clothing and housing, while working to ensure that every student has access to wireless internet and digital devices.
During the coronavirus pandemic, when many students felt isolated while working at home, Jordan-Awalom became concerned about their mental health. “We made sure that during the pandemic, our students had access right away to technology, to hot spots, to all of that to make sure there was no gap in their education,” she said. “My two kids were … doing their homework or their schoolwork in their rooms. I think it was very difficult. It’s not just going to school for your educational purposes, it’s for your socialization, that interaction, even to hear other voices, to see other faces.”
“Ms. Jordan-Awalom is a passionate and tireless advocate for all students,” wrote her award nominator, Superintendent of Freeport Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham. “Her deep and unwavering commitment to Freeport's schools and community is an inspiration to all who know her, and her devotion to our children and their families is unparalleled. She is truly a changemaker."
Freeport Educational Foundation
Established in 2013, the Freeport Educational Foundation is devoted to providing innovative programs, unique learning experiences and the best educational opportunities for all students. It works to strengthen relationships between school and community, including local businesses, through events that bring students, educators, families and other Freeport stakeholders together.
Last September, for example, the foundation organized a Family Fun Day at Freeport High School that raised over $30,000.
Since its inception, the FEF has raised more than $250,000 in grants and scholarship funding in support of the district’s schools. Each year, it awards more than $30,000 in mini-grants to fund innovative instructional programs, with the aim of increasing student engagement and collaboration, helping them develop critical 21st-century skills, and fostering creativity and innovation.
The themes of the grant program have included Educating the Whole Child; Equity and Inclusion and Social Emotional Learning in Our Schools; and Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) to Enhance Instruction and Engage Learners Through Learning Sciences.
In addition to its grants programs, FEF has funded nearly $30,000 in scholarships over the past six years, awarding up to 10 scholarships annually to deserving students. It has also invested more than $26,000 in a variety of school programs, including the purchase of a baby grand piano and a sousaphone for the music program; the installation of a new scoreboard at the high school softball field; and funding the manufacture of an atomic force microscope, in partnership with Brookhaven National Labs.
“We’re very honored and proud that we won the award,” foundation President Butch Yamali said. “Our work is very beneficial to Freeport schools, to the students. We’ve worked over the years to raise money and be able to support scholarships and different items.”
Yamali lives in Merrick and serves on the Merrick school board. He operates the Coral House on Milburn Avenue in Freeport as well as the Milleridge Inn in Jericho. He has been the FEF president for the past four years.
“The Freeport Educational Foundation has had a tremendous impact on public education, providing innovative, extraordinary learning experiences to the children of our community,” wrote the FEF's award nominator. “The residents of Freeport are grateful to the foundation’s board for their dedication, generosity, time and commitment, which has been nothing short of amazing.”
The Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that raises funds for innovative educational programs that are not included the agency’s budget.
