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The Price School of Education at Reinhardt
College has awarded its 2006-07 William G. Hasty Sr. Award to
Cindy Rudin of Alpharetta, Ga. Established in 2001, the award
honors Reinhardt’s most outstanding education graduate, the
alumnus who best represents the goals of the teaching
profession.
A $1,000 grant from the College was
presented to the new Avery Elementary School in Canton, Ga.,
where Rudin is in her first year as a second-grade teacher. The
grant provides additional discretionary funds for Rudin to use
during the 2007-08 school year.
“I’m just so honored to have been chosen to
receive this award,” Rudin said. “I’m so appreciative to
Reinhardt and the Hasty family.
“I’m very blessed to have gone to Reinhardt
because the College is definitely a 21st century school, as far
as education goes. To be exposed to the curriculum that I was
exposed to and the experiences I had – I feel I only would have
gotten that at Reinhardt. The small classrooms and the top-notch
professors were a big plus for me. This is a second career for
me after being in the business world, so I was able to take a
lot of my past and apply it to my future in the classroom.
“I’m just overwhelmed with joy because of
what I’ll be able to do with that money in my classroom,” Rudin
continued. “I can spend it on learning materials that are much
needed, especially with opening up a brand new school. It’s
going to support my classroom and I’m going to be able to
differentiate with my students because I have a diverse
population of children.”
The first recipient of the award, Jacob
Griffith, echoed Rudin’s comments on receiving the honor.
Griffith is currently teaching mathematics at Austin Middle
School in Douglasville, Ga., after being at Teasley Middle
School in Canton.
“Upon graduating from Reinhardt, what a
great honor to receive the William G. Hasty Sr. Award,” he said.
“I had never felt so honored.
“After receiving the award, I had a head
start on teaching. I started the 2003-04 academic year just
married, living with my new wife who was still in college. We
had no money and there was no way for me to personally buy all
of the materials I needed for my classroom.
“As a first-year teacher, you walk past
classrooms of veteran teachers and wish you had the supplies
they have,” Griffith added. “Most teachers supply their
classrooms over the course of years, not days. With the award, I
had the money and I bought what I needed, and it was all of the
little things that made the difference.”
A 1941 Reinhardt graduate, Hasty was
synonymous with education in the state as a teacher, principal,
superintendent of Cherokee County Schools and with the Georgia
Education Association. Before his death in November 2003, he was
a faithful supporter, advisor and donor to the College after his
graduation and encouraged four generations of the Hasty family
to attend Reinhardt. In the community, he also served as an
author, newspaper columnist, state representative, state senator
and Ninth District representative, and vice chair of the state
transportation board.
“This award is a wonderful reminder of Sen.
Hasty’s legacy of giving to others,” said JoEllen Wilson,
Reinhardt vice president for institutional advancement and
external affairs. “It’s a fitting way for Reinhardt to honor
this alumnus, a man of great vision and infectious enthusiasm
who worked tirelessly to improve the world around him.” |
