Union High School teacher Nicholas Ferroni, once named People Magazine's "Sexiest Teacher" will be honored Thursday night with the Diversity in Education Champion award presented by the American Conference on Diversity at the 69th annual Humanitarian Awards Gala at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange New Jersey.

"It's an incredible honor and there are many educators in New Jersey who are fighting for their students and ensuring that they don't feel inferior in any way, As educators it is important that all students enter our schools and classrooms feeling safe and secure, otherwise learning is impossible" Ferroni goes on to say.

"What many people don't realize is that Bloom's Taxonomy is impossible if we don't meet Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, only then can education and learning take place. Also as 21st century educators, we must be active out of the classrooms as we are in them. We must be outspoken and support all of our students, especially those that are a part of groups and more likely to be discriminated against. It should not require bravery for out students to be themselves and if it does, we are not doing our jobs as educators."

Ferroni is a nationally recognized social activist who along with mentoring and inspiring students to reach their goals. He drives a national dialogue about education reform. He developed a “Teach the Truth” campaign to incorporate more minority figures in social studies curriculum, as well as to include the history of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement. In addition, he helped found his school’s Gay Straight Alliance and Feminist Club.

Ferroni's social experiment on the importance of gender equality in politics went viral, garnering the attention of news outlets and television programs nationwide. The View’s Whoopi Goldberg called it “the best social experiment ever.”

Ferroni also released a controversial PSA, “Preach What You Practice,” calling on today’s top professional athletes and reminding them of their obligation as a role model to help improve the nutritional health of America’s youth.

Ferroni was recently named “Upstander of the Year” by the Human Rights Campaign for his outspoken advocacy and support for LGBTQ youth. He was noted as one the “100 Making a Difference” and one of the “Most Influential Educators in America.” His expertise and strong opinions about education have made him a sought-after expert on nationally known platforms, including ABC’s The View, MSNBC, The Huffington Post, and more.

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