MASTER TEACHER AWARD Presented to Sean Breen During this year’s graduation celebration, the Forbes Master Teacher Chair was awarded to Cathedral’s music and performing arts teacher, Sean Breen. Below are the remarks that Head of School Jones gave while presenting the award:
additional funding for professional devel- opment. Following in the footsteps of last year’s recipient, Michael Vietmeier, it was clear that this year’s recipient would have very big shoes to fill. And yet, everyone at Cathedral School for Boys recognizes true artistry at work when they see it. This year’s recipient is usually the first to arrive on campus in the morning and often the last to leave. And while it would be easy for a teacher of this caliber and sophistication to rely upon experience, this year’s recipient possesses an innate and enviable tendency to ask of himself how he can improve in service to the boys of Cathedral School. Our recipient’s professionalism, sacrifice, and leadership were never better displayed than in this year. After decades of teaching music, and along the way writing virtually every
school performance conducted at the school over the last 30 years, he eagerly volunteered to teach math when student cohorting responsibilities required us to find a new teacher, and he spent much of last summer preparing for this assignment. And in typical fashion, this teacher was innovative, research-based, thorough, and effective in his approach. Boys, chances are that at some point, you will find yourself walking down the street or strolling in the park and a catchy tune, though one that you might not quite place, comes to mind, and you begin to whistle or break out into song. And when this happens, remember Sean Breen, and all that he has done for you. I can’t think of a finer recipient for the Forbes Master Teacher Chair than Sean Breen.
THE FORBES MASTER TEACHER CHAIR was established at Cathedral School for Boys by our alumni as a way of recognizing our outstanding faculty and honoring our founding Headmaster. More specifically, the Forbes Chair is designed to recognize those teachers who demonstrate excellence in teaching, display an abiding commitment to the School’s students, express an ongoing commitment to personal and profes- sional growth, and are recognized within our community for, in the words of our Statement of Philosophy, “modeling the highest standards in every respect.” There are multiple nominees sent to the school each year by our community, and those nominees are taken to a committee which selects the award winner. The recipient receives a generous stipend and
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