The winners of the eighth annual Citadel Heart of Learning Award were announced Tuesday evening at a banquet held at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PA.

The winners are:

• Elementary School – Cathy Cipollini – Kindergarten – Hillendale Elementary School in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District
• Middle School – Donna Marie Binns – Social Studies – North Brandywine Middle School in the Coatesville Area School District
• High School – Charles Keating – Music – Bishop Shanahan High School in the Non-Public Schools

In addition, three students were presented awards for their outstanding nominations. Aaron Harvey of Oxford High School was presented the award for the Best Student Written Nomination. Ciara Mullen of Charlestown Elementary School in the Great Valley School District and Kelly Pluck of the Coatesville Area High School both won for the Best Student Video Nomination. Each student was recognized and received a $250 Visa Gift Card.

“An audience of more than 190 joined in congratulating not only the teacher and student winners, but also the 12 other finalists being honored that evening. The evening’s presenters, including Michael Schnably, Senior Vice President of Citadel; Dr. Joe O’Brien, Executive Director of the Chester County Intermediate Unit; Claudia Hellebush, President of the United Way of Chester County; and John Venditta, Executive Director of the Chester County Library System, each expressed their gratitude to all educators and the influence that they have on our students and our community.

“Along with the lessons learned, the impact a teacher has on a student’s life remains like a memory book,” said Michael Schnably Senior Vice President at Citadel and Co-Chair of the program. “Snapshots of projects, field trips, and experiences in the classroom stick with a child throughout a lifetime. Our hope for this evening is to add a special memory to each teacher’s scrapbook of life as we pay tribute to their dedication in shaping the lives of children.”

The Citadel Heart of Learning Award program was created in a joint effort by Citadel and the Chester County Intermediate Unit to recognize and honor excellent teachers throughout the county. One award is presented to a teacher in each of the 13 school districts as well as one from the Chester County Intermediate Unit and one from the non-public schools.

Fifteen finalists and three winners were selected from a record-breaking 3000 nominations submitted by students, parents, teachers and administrators. Throughout the past two months, Citadel representatives have been traveling across Chester County to present each of the fifteen finalists with the Citadel Heart of Learning Award. Each of the fifteen finalists received $500 to use in their classrooms and a custom glass sculpture from Simon Pearce. Each of the three winners received an additional $1000 to use in their classrooms.

For all inquiries please contact:
Kristianna Del Grande
Public Relations Specialist