Parkdale's Clinton Smith Wins State Teaching Prize

Clinton Smith, a 10th grade English teacher at Parkdale High School, is the winner of the 2013 Christine D. Sarbanes Award, the Maryland Humanities Council announced Friday.

Named after the educator, former MHC board member, and late wife of retired U.S. Senator Paul S. Sarbanes, the annual award honors a Maryland teacher "who works avidly to promote reading in his or her school."

Smith, a New Orleans native and Davidson College graduate, "has been a tour de force since joining the staff [of Parkdale], obtaining over 1200 books for students through book drives, grants, and personal donations," according to the council.

Smith's students improved by more than two reading levels last year and are on a similar pace this year, the MHC said in a statement.

"When they read Elie Wiesel’s Night, students went on to create proposals on standing up against bullying and racial discrimination and visited the Holocaust Museum to gain a deeper understanding of genocide," it added.

An accomplished spoken word poet, Clinton has made a habit of bringing in other local writers to his class to lead workshops.

“Mr. Smith will never know the life-long impact that his efforts had on his students’ achievement," Parkdale High School Principal Cheryl Logan said in a statement. "They will never forget him or his belief that their education is the key to improving their futures and the future of many generations to come.”

Nominations for the Sarbanes award—part of the Maryland Letters About Literature contest—come from principals and colleagues.