Newark teacher wins prestigious Amazon award

A Newark teacher was recognized as one of ten educators named “Teacher of the Year” for computer science by Amazon. The teachers are chosen “for their work to inspire students from underserved and historically underrepresented communities to pursue careers in computer science and robotics.”

Harold Brown of the Newark Collegiate Academy was one of the winners selected out of thousands of applicants. Scholarship America chose the recipients based on promoting diversity and inclusion within computer science education, a recommendation from a school administrator, and compelling, personal anecdotes about their schools and students.

According to Patch.com, Brown has been teaching at NCA for nine years, joining the school after a stint with Teach America. The award comes with more than just a pat on the back, however; NCA will receive $25,000 while Brown will personally get a $5,000 cash award. He told Patch.com "Receiving this honor is certainly a highlight of my professional career, the award will help NCA invest in critical STEM programs, such as physical computing and robotics, for our hardworking students."

An Amazon spokesperson said the ten teachers “work diligently to help students in underserved and underrepresented communities build life-changing skills to propel their futures in computer science. We celebrate their tireless efforts to increase access to technology and computer literacy in their classrooms and beyond."

Amazon said in a release that "It has been an especially difficult year for teachers so we are excited to recognize their hard work and commitment to their students' success."

The school said it plans on using the prize money to enhance computer science courses.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.