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Garfield Senior High School teacher Kevin Murchie is a recipient of the 2014 Yale Educator Award.
A veteran teacher at Garfield Senior High School has been selected for a prestigious award from Yale University thanks to one of his former students.
The Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions has honored Kevin Murchie, an English teacher at Garfield, as a recipient of the 2014 Yale Educator Award.
Murchie was nominated by former Garfield student, Janet Juarez, according to a press release from LA Unified. Juaraz is now a freshman at Yale and credited Murchie with shaping her as a student. Murchie was an Advanced Placement English Language teacher for Juaraz and also the faculty sponsor of the school newspaper, The Scuttlebutt, while she was the editor, according to the release.
Murchie has been working for LA Unified for 11 years, all of them at Garfield High teaching Honors English 9, AP English Language, Speech and Debate and Academic Decathlon, according to Garfield’s principal, Jose Huerta.
“The Garfield High School community is very proud that Mr. Murchie was recognized with this prestigious award,” Huerta told LA School Report. “It is well known around here that he is an outstanding teacher who has that gift of reaching all of his students regardless of their background. He does this by treating them with respect, holding them to a higher standard and instilling in them the value of a good education. Garfield High School is truly fortunate to have him as a member of our faculty.”
Garfield High in East Los Angeles has seen big improvements in its performance over the last few years, with steady increases in API scores, but is still struggling to meet targets.
The Yale Educator Recognition Program recognizes outstanding educators from around the world who are nominated by current students. This year, 53 teachers and 30 counselors were recognized, according to the school’s website.
“The entire Yale Admissions Office credits the excellent quality of the Yale student body to educators like these, who shape their students long before they attend Yale, and would like to thank these and all educators for their ongoing efforts in motivating and supporting their students,” said a statement on Yale’s website.