Radford University to host McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching April 7

Author Liz Murray will deliver the keynote address at the 2016 McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching on April 7 at Radford University’s Bondurant Auditorium at Preston Hall.

Murray is the author of "Breaking Night" and the subject of the Lifetime movie "From Homeless to Harvard."

Murray is the recipient of the White House Project’s Role Model Award and Oprah Winfrey’s first-ever "Chutzpah Award." Her memoir, "Breaking Night," landed on the New York Times Best Sellers list within a week of its release and quickly became an international best-seller published in 12 countries, in eight languages.

Murray received her Bachelor of Science degree from Harvard University. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in psychology at Columbia University.

As part of the McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching, Radford education students who are members of the Pulaski County Spring-Fall Elementary Education Cohort have organized the "Breaking Night" Food Drive. The drive runs March 28 – April 8. The Radford University Bookstore is offering a 10 percent discount on the price of the book "Breaking Night" with a food donation.

The McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching is an annual event, now in its 17th year, honoring the Blue Ridge region's best teachers with the McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence.

Six finalists will be selected for the 2016 awards. These awards are some of the largest monetary awards for teaching in the nation.

Two winners, who will be awarded $25,000 each, will be announced at the ceremony conducted by the McGlothlin Foundation, Blue Ridge PBS and Radford University’s College of Education and Human Development. The awards ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m.

The three finalists in the elementary category are:

• Kelly Linkenhoker – Price's Fork Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools, Blacksburg, Virginia.
• Kelly Steele – New London Academy, Bedford County Public Schools, Forest, Virginia.
• Alice Watson – Leesville Road Elementary School, Campbell County Public Schools, Lynchburg, Virginia.

The three finalists in the secondary category are:

• Erika Hackworth – Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Roanoke City Public Schools, Roanoke, Virginia.
• Stephanie Miller – Colonial Heights Middle School, Sullivan County Public Schools, Kingsport, Tennessee.
• Lynn Williams – Giles High School, Giles County Public Schools, Pearisburg, Virginia.

The awards ceremony caps the day's McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching activities that begin at 3:30 p.m. at various locations on campus. Murray will sign copies of her book at 3:30 – 4 p.m. in the lower level of Heth Hall. Click here for a full schedule of events.

To learn more about the McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching event at RU, email mcglothlin@radford.edu.