Ron Clark Academy has made a national splash again.
The southeast Atlanta middle school’s dean of students, Junior Bernadin, received special recognition from the White House. On Feb. 8, President Joe Biden named 117 teachers, mentors and mentoring organizations as recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. He is believed to be the first Haitian-American to receive the honor, according to the school’s press release.
“I am honored to have the privilege of representing the best STEM mentors in the nation who continuously invest in the lives of both students and teachers,” Bernadin said, according to the press release. “As a Haitian-American born in Little Haiti, this prestigious honor is more than just an award. It is an opportunity to share best STEM practices with educators worldwide and show my students that representation matters in the STEM field.”
The educator has also been featured as one of the Learning Top 100 Leaders in Education, the Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40, Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 Under 40 and has been selected for the Forbes Technology Council.
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