When it comes to excellence in teaching, the University of Mary Washington was recently honored for A+ achievement by the Virginia Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (VACTE).

Three UMW College of Education members received awards for their exceptional efforts. Grace Sylvia, who is pursuing a Master of Education degree, took Outstanding Student in a Virginia Advance Preparation Program; Sarah Batchelor ’24 accepted Outstanding Student in a Virginia Licensure Program and Associate Professor of Education Christy Irish won the Faculty Impact Award.

VACTE bestowed the honors at its spring conference held in early April at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. From pre-service through veteran teachers, VACTE is a key voice for development and support in the teaching profession at the local, state and national levels.

“UMW is beyond proud that Sarah and Grace have been recognized by VACTE,” Irish said of her fellow award-winners. “They have excelled in their academics at Mary Washington, but moreover, they are now excelling as new teachers in the community. The College of Education looks forward to continuing to work side-by-side with them as they lead students in their own classrooms.” Read more.

The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of about 4,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Virginia, which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers.