• Kareem Neal to be Inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

    Kareem NealKareem Neal has been selected as one of only five career teachers to be inducted into The National Teachers Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022, the 30th induction class for the organization. A 23-year veteran of teaching, Neal is a Special Education teacher for 9th through 12th graders at Maryvale High. He is the first teacher from Arizona to be inducted into The National Teachers Hall of Fame, so this is a special celebration for PXU and the state.

    After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Seton Hall University in 1996, he received his Master of Arts degree in Special Education from Jersey City University in 199. He began his education career at the Developmental Learning Center, followed by 8 years at The Children’s Center for Neurodevelopmental, and has been on the Maryvale faculty for 15 years. In addition to his classroom assignment, he has coached the freshman girls basketball team, has sponsored the Maryvale Diversity Club, called Panthertown, for 14 years, and has been a Unified Special Olympics coach for 5 years. 

    He is a member of National Education Association, Arizona Education Association, National Network of State Teachers of the Year, the Phoenix Union Certified Teachers Association. He also serves on the Board for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He has been recognized for Educator Excellence by Maryvale Revitalization Corporation (2016); served as the Phoenix Union High School District Teacher of the Year (2017); received the Diversity Award from the Arizona Education Association (2018); and served as the Arizona State Teacher of the Year (2019).

    In June, Mr. Neal will join four other teachers from New Jersey, California, Ohio, and  Connecticut for a series of recognition events in Emporia, Kansas, which include presenting a live-streamed roundtable discussion, participating in community events, helping to re-dedicate the National Memorial to Fallen Educators, and being honored at the banquet and induction ceremony. The five inductees will also be honored at a reception hosted in May by the National Education Association at their Washington DC headquarters—as a follow-up to Teacher Appreciation Week.

    PXU will be honoring Mr. Neal via a live-streamed Zoom meeting on Monday, April 11th.