May 11, 2023
At Cox, we’re on our journey to empower 34 million people to live more prosperous lives by 2023. This teacher appreciation week, we’re highlighting the educators who exemplify what it means to positively impact the next generation.
“Regardless of the subject, teachers have an incredible gift for bringing out the best in their students while creating safe environments where our youth thrive. Their dedication is inspiring to say the least,” said Stephanie Federico, vice president of government and public relations for Cox East Region. “Our 2023 Cox Education Heroes represent the some of the best and brightest in the Virginia education system.”
Teachers from across the commonwealth were nominated for continuously going above and beyond in support of student education. And Cox employees reviewed the nearly 100 nominations to select this year’s recipients.
Each Cox Education Hero’s school will receive a $1,000 grant for their classroom.
Meet this year’s Cox Education Heroes with an excerpt from their nomination:
Anne Quigley, Math Teacher at Glasgow Middle School
“Ms. Quigley's superpower is building relationships with her students and using this information to make real-world math connections.”
Audrey Joyner, Special Education Teacher at Grafton Bethel Elementary School
“Ms. Joyner's superpower is bringing to light her student's amazing accomplishments… and allowing them to see what they can achieve. Ms. Joyner gives her students the power of reaching beyond the sky, as it is not their limit.”
Keytrell Slack, Fourth Grade Teacher at Clermont Elementary School
“Ms. Slack's superpower is in her hands! She is able to turn any lesson into a "hand's on" experience for students, which helps them learn as much as possible from her lessons!”
Laura Wagner, Fourth Grade Teacher at Bailey’s Upper Elementary School for the Art and Sciences
“Ms. Wagner’s superpower is building relationships with students and getting students from all levels of learning to love school and be critical and creative thinkers who take risks and problem solve with one another.”
Meagan Emmerson, Special Education Teacher at Mount Vernon Elementary School
“Meagan's superpower is teaching non-verbal students to communicate with the gift of voice.”
Missy Powell-Riedl, Kindergarten Teacher at Paul Burbank Elementary
“Mrs. Powell-Reidl has many gifts and superpowers as an educator, community participant, and team leader. She completely absorbs herself with student achievement, technological excellence, as well as environmental mindfulness.”
Kara Johnson, Kindergarten Teacher at Woodstock Elementary
“I asked my son what Mrs. Johnson's superpower is and his reply? She shines bright like the sun. I couldn't have said it better. Mrs. Johnson is a ray of sunshine; she's someone I know has the best intentions for my child and shares her sunshine to all of her students (classroom and extracurricular) every day.”
Nicole Sutorius, Music Teacher at Woodstock Elementary
“Mrs. Sutorius superpower is making everyone feel special and empowered to reach their goals!”
Paul Petzrick, Chemistry and Engineering Teacher at Trinity Christian School
“Mr. Petzrick's superpower is to captivate students by sharing his inspirational and motivating life stories, and his selfless service as our color guard sponsor. His students are inspired to do their best!”
Rowena Hipol, Kindergarten Teacher at Eagle View Elementary School
“Ms. Hipol's superpower is her ability to connect with students and make each child see magic in learning. She also has an exquisite ability to communicate with families and build strong home-school partnerships.”
In addition to celebrating teachers’ commitment to student in the classroom. Cox also is committed to ensuring student success at home. Learn more about Cox’s commitment to digital equity and our Connect2Compete program which provides affordable, reliable broadband at home.
