An overflowing zoom room waited with anticipation as Tami Regan and Kathryn Fishman-Weaver announced the Mizzou Academy spring Honor Award distinctions. This is the second year of this quarterly award to recognize staff and faculty excellence. 

In alignment with our strategic priorities around cultivating a culture of celebration and recognition, the Mizzou Academy Honor Award was launched in 2021. This peer-nominated award is open to all faculty and staff, including part-time and student employees. 

This quarter’s recipient is David Prats Vidal. David serves as the Mizzou Academy World Language chair. With 23 different world languages at Mizzou Academy, it is a significant position. 

David’s nominators commented on his organization and aptitude at running such an extensive program.

• David goes above and beyond, every day, not only for our students and their families, but also our employees. His dedication and compassion are exemplary! 
• David is always an advocate for the students. For him, the students always come first. He seeks out creative solutions and is always willing to take a phone call, email a family, or work out a solution with Rosetta Stone. 
• David handles the activity for our huge World Language program. He manages all inquiries and questions from, grading, to enrollment management including date changes, completions and drops. 
• His work supports us across so many departments: curriculum, academics, fiscal/HR, and support services. 
• Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with David on many projects and delicate situations that require innovation and compassion. David’s actions and recommendations are always focused on the student, and what they need to succeed. He’s incredibly responsive and helpful! 

Nominators also commented on David’s own language skills. Tami Regan added that he has even helped translate international transcripts. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver shared that he coaches her on her novice Spanish.

“How many languages do you speak?” asked one of our Lead Language Arts teachers. 

“Six.” said David humbly. “And that’s definitely not counting Latin. My Latin is way too rusty to count.”

David shared another important number at the meeting. He had just completed our 2,000th World Language course since the 2018 launch of our partnership with Rosetta Stone Education. 

At the zoom meeting, the team also celebrated Megan Lilien’s nomination for an Honor Award. Megan serves as our Division Chair for Science (middle and high school), P.E., and Health.

“How many teaching certifications do you hold?” asked an administrator.

“Well, four but it would have been five. One didn’t transfer from California. I’ll take that test soon.”

One of Megan’s nominators shared a wonderful story about how she threaded support for a family who was struggling during COVID layoffs. Given economic hardships, the family could not afford additional science lab materials. Megan, who is committed to expanding access across all our science classes, worked individually with this student and their family to make sure each lab could be completed with materials they already had at home. The student completed Biology successfully. This is just one example of the innovative and compassionate work Megan does for Mizzou Academy. Our team isn’t the only one noticing this work. Megan was recently named the Technology Innovator by the Science Teachers of Missouri. 

Whether by teaching certifications, languages spoken, courses completed, or students reached, any way you count it, the Mizzou Academy team is extraordinary.