A Stellar Cadre of Education Luminaries Gathered to Celebrate the Entire Education Community at the 2014 Bammy Awards

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, some 200 prominent educators, thought leaders, and education advocates came to Washington, D.C., from around the nation to be part of the third annual Bammy Awards honoring the entire education village. The honors, presented by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences, attracted support from a wide swath of the education community. Among the presenters and honorees were Gary E. Knell, CEO of National Geographic; Governor Bob Wise, president, Alliance for Excellent Education; Timothy P. Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics; and the executive directors of several of the leading national education associations.

"It's very exciting because here we're going to have so many people who are making things happen in education," said Governor Bob Wise.

The Bammy Award statuette was presented to 25 educators and education professionals. Additionally, special achievement Bammy Awards were presented to Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams, pioneers of the flipped classroom, teacher Rafe Esquith, and creativity advocate Sir Ken Robinson. The main presentation of the evening went to Grace Miner, an amazing high school student. Another highlight of the evening was the special achievement Bammy Award presented to Timothy P. Shriver.

The awards presented live on Saturday night included:

Takiema Bunche-Smith, Early Childhood Program Director, NY 
Sherri Wilson, Parent Group Leader, AL
Julie Zuckerman, Elementary School Principal, NY
Governor Bob Wise, Policy and Research, DC
Stephen P. Santilli, Middle School Principal, NJ
Adam Bellow, Innovator of the Year, NY
Larry Ferlazzo, Education Commentator/Blogger, CA
Jody Martin, School Business Official, CO
Nancy B. Weida, School Nurse, RI
Todd Nesloney, Elementary School Teacher, TX
Melissa Butler, Middle School Teacher, NJ
Dave Burgess, Secondary School Teacher, CA
Mark Edwards, School Superintendent, NC
Adora Svitak and Joshua Williams, Student Voice, WA, FL
Elissa Malespina, School Librarian, NJ
Susan Bearden, School Technologist, FL
Vicki Davis, Education Talk Show Host, GA

"I was thrilled to be able to sit in a room with others who are working to change the face of education and just watch education be celebrated," said Todd Nesloney, teacher and Bammy Award honoree.

The Edtech Bammy Awards went to ClassDojo, SymbalooEDU, and Remind. A special Bammy Award was presented to Washington Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. In all, 34 trophies were awarded this year.

New to the Awards was a series of 3-minute inspirational keynotes called 3iTalks. Presenters included Stephen Ritz, Vicki Davis, Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis, Salome Thomas-EL, and Taylor Mali.

"I left being proud of my colleagues. I left being proud of my profession…The 3-minute talks were so inspiring…What I heard …made my heart grow a few sizes pure Grinch style," said Amanda Dykes, nominee.

For photo galleries, video clips and the full list of honorees, or to learn more about the Bammy Awards go to www.bammyawards.org.

CONTACT: Jeanette Bernstein, 818-539-5971, Email

SOURCE Academy of Education Arts and Sciences