Category: Shark Success Stories

Marquita S. Blades, Ed.D, is an award-winning educator, international speaker, author, and education consultant with 16 years of experience as a high school science teacher and manager of national STEM programs for high-achieving high school students. Blades saves schools and school districts time and money by teaching them how to increase student engagement and collaboration through rigorous and meaningful learning experiences, using the resources they currently have on hand.

In 2018, Blades created the POWARRful Teaching Strategies® framework to help students build their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, based on recurring themes in her teaching practices. She found that she was constantly teaching the same six-core POWARR skills: Predict, Observe, Write, Analyze, Research, Report. Since releasing POWARRful Teaching Strategies®, she has shared the framework with thousands of educators across the US, giving them the tools and confidence, they need to put it into practice and build more student-centered classrooms immediately. Blades is also the founder of The Mediocre Teacher Project, which helps teachers avoid and battle through burnout by incorporating their unique gifts and talents into their daily practice.

Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards, including the Elizabeth Allen Alford Overcomer’s Award (2017), Teachers of Atlanta Honoree (2017), Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Rising Star in Education (2017), National Celebrity Educators™-Georgia Celebrity Educator of the Year (2018), and Women of Strength Honoree (2018). Most recently, she was nominated for the 2019 Community Engagement R.I.C.E. Award and was selected to be included in the 2019 Edition of Who’s Who in Black Atlanta.

Blades earned a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Broad Field Science from Georgia State University, a Master of Science in Technical and Professional Communication from Southern Polytechnic State University, and a Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Blades said that earning her doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University has been one of the best decisions in her professional career. Since earning her doctoral degree, her career as an educator has taken off. She’s doing what she intended to do: become an instructional leader! She has conducted hundreds of national presentations, held workshops and seminars all providing professional development to thousands of educators, sharing best practices she learned through classroom experience and doctoral research. In addition, she has become a published author, editor and publisher and gained the respect of colleagues who were once professors that she held in high esteem. Her degree has opened doors she could not have imagined walking through and earned her seats at tables where she could not imagine sitting. She is very grateful for her NSU education.

Recently, Blades established the “The Dr. Marquita S. Blades POWARRful Changing Lives Scholarship” at Nova Southeastern University to help provide scholarships to NSU students pursuing a graduate degree at the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. The Changing Lives scholarship, first-hand, touches student’s lives. We are beyond grateful for Blades’ generosity. Because of her newly established scholarship, the college will support students fulfill their dreams by continuing their education.

When she is not teaching or public speaking, Blades works as a Realtor alongside her husband Virgil Blades. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and exploring life in Panama, where she and her husband reside part-time.

For any questions regarding POWARRful Teaching Strategies® please contact Marquita at drblades@drmarquitablades.com and follow her on social media at @powarrfulteaching.

Posted 01/30/22

Noris Price, Ed.D., graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice was named Georgia’s 2022 Superintendent of the Year at the Georgia School Superintendents Association conference in Atlanta on December 2.

Since 2014, Price has led the Baldwin County School District. Under her leadership, the Baldwin County School District has implemented instructional initiatives and strategies that have resulted in improved student performance and the high school graduation rate increasing from 66% to 88%. Additionally, Price has been successful in obtaining more than $5 million in grant funds for Baldwin County Schools and leading the school district through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS/CASI) district accreditation process.

Price has received numerous awards throughout her tenure in the education field. In 2019, she was given the national “All in for Students” Award by Communities in Schools. She has also received the Georgia School Superintendents Association President’s Awards, the Whitney M. Young Award, Johnnie V. Cox Leadership Award from the University of Georgia, and was named a Georgia PTA Outstanding Principal, among other distinctions.

Price earned a Doctor of Education in educational leadership with NSU in 2006 and was honored with the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017. She also served as the College’s 2021 Commencement Speaker.

Price will go on to represent Georgia and compete for National Superintendent of the Year, in February 2022 at the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Conference.

Posted 12/16/21

Theresa West, Ed.D., is an educational leader, author, researcher, and speaker. West is a first-generation college graduate and is a force of passion, hard work, resilience, and goodwill. Her mother and grandmother were her biggest inspirations in pursuing her higher education degrees and pursuing a career in education. Without them, she wouldn’t be living her dreams. They taught her the importance of creating her own opportunities. Most importantly, they encouraged her to believe that she can do the impossible.

In 2019, she earned her Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology and Distance Education degree from the Abraham S. Fischer College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ) in 2019, and she also earned her Educational Specialist in Technology Management and Administration from FCE&SCJ in 2014.

West currently serves as the Business Technology Southern Region Chairperson within the Technical College System of Georgia. In addition to serving the Technical College System of Georgia, she serves on the curriculum standards administrative committee which she oversees the updating, revising, and promotion of the National Standards for Business Education as necessary and facilitate the development of additional K-14 curriculum materials as directed by the National Business Education Association Executive Board.

Under her leadership, five students received first, and second-place awards at the Phi Beta Lambda of Georgia’s 60th Annual Leadership Conference, and three students were placed in the top ten at the 2008 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference. To date, more than 200 students received associate degrees, almost 500 diplomas, nearly 150 technical certificates of credit, roughly 85 career placements, and about 50 Microsoft Office Specialist certifications. Also, Business Technology and Business Healthcare Technology are among the largest programs at Albany Technical College. Similarly, in 2017, Online Colleges recognized and honored business programs at Albany Technical College for excellence and achievement in online learning.

West said that attending NSU and receiving both her degrees from FCE&SCJ have prepared her for a growing career. It has opened many doors and helped leverage her career as a leader in education. FCE&SCJ allowed her to collaborate closely with faculty and staff to facilitate education programs and initiatives, celebrate diversity, promote multiculturalism, and develop a global mindset.

As an educational advocate for business and distance education, West regularly presents and contributes to scholarly publications at various conferences. She has received many recognitions for her publications, including the best conference paper from the Florida Distance Learning Association. West is currently working on a new book for those in higher education. West now lives in Albany, Ga., and enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and watching Tampa Bay Buccaneers play! Fins up to you, Theresa and for all your hard work.

Posted 12/15/21

Patricia Trejo, doctoral student, at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice is the recipient of the 2021 the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Scholarship, sponsored by Curriculum Associates. Through the scholarship, Trejo will receive $10,000 toward her doctoral degree in educational leadership at NSU, which helps support the professional advancement of Latino administrators.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity Curriculum Associates proMasvides by funding a $10,000 scholarship for an ALAS member,” said Maria Armstrong, executive director of ALAS. “This year, Mrs. Patricia Trejo is a deserving recipient as she pursues her education in earning a doctoral degree. As a cofacilitator of our Linking Latina Leaders Network, she coordinates and promotes webinars that connect our ALAS members on topics of relevance and advocates for all children, with an emphasis on historically marginalized youth. ALAS is proud to have a member as dedicated to ALAS and her home state affiliate as she is.”

Trejo is an accomplished educator who graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor degree in mass communications, and then from Nova Southeastern University with her master’s degree in educational leadership in 2003. She has served in several roles throughout her 23-year career in public education, including teacher, learning team facilitator, assistant principal, and principal.

Posted 11/03/21

On March 26, 2021, Patrice Farquharson, Ed.D., welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris at the West Haven Child Development Center as part of the Biden administration’s “Help Is Here” campaign. The Child Development Center, founded in 1978, is expected to receive funding for teachers and classrooms to further support the care and education of our children. After a period of distance learning, the center, reopened on July 6, 2020. It offers full- and part-day childcare services for infants and children up to age five. While it was closed, the center serviced families remotely by providing diapers and information to access food.

Farquharson is a lifelong resident of West Haven, Connecticut, and is committed to providing a quality, research-based early childhood experience for the children of her city. She is currently in her 43rd year at the West Haven Child Development Center, serving as the executive director. Farquharson also holds the following appointments: Associate Professor of Early Childhood and Child Studies at Post University, the former Dean at the Core Faculty at Charter Oak State College, appointed by the Connecticut Board of Regents, where she teaches Psychology of Play.

Farquharson is active in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). She has presented many scholarly papers on increasing social-emotional competence in young children at risk and, most recently, leadership in early childhood education. She is also an active interdisciplinary member of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).

She is respected in both organizations for her expertise and leadership abilities. In 2010 she received NAPNAP’s President’s Award for her collaborative work in health and education. Farquharson is always on the cutting edge of new ideas and innovations in education and practice. Her record of funding from so many foundations for these projects is evidence of her success in achieving her goals.

Farquharson has faced many challenges throughout her career. However, one of her biggest challenges was educating the public about the importance of the work that is being done in early childhood education. Adding various forms of technology into preschool classrooms is a relatively easy task. However, fully integrating technology into the curriculum is much more complicated. She came up with a way to assist the teachers to feel comfortable with technology and consider using a variety of technology tools when planning the curriculum for children.

Farquharson received her Doctor of Education in Child and Youth Studies from the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice in 1995. She also holds a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from Southern Connecticut State University and a Bachelors from the University of Connecticut. She says the most exciting thing about child studies is the combination of psychology, sociology and child development. She is a mother of two girls and was even a cheerleader for the New England Patriots cheerleading team.