Kathleen Brennan, Mathematics Department chair at Mount Saint Mary Academy, was recently named one of the 2016 Outstanding Educators of the Year.
WATCHUNG - Kathleen Brennan, Mathematics Department chair at Mount Saint Mary Academy, was named one of the 2016 Outstanding Educators of the Year during a recent ceremony sponsored by the New York City Department of Education.
Kathleen Brennan, Mathematics Department chair at Mount Saint Mary Academy, was recently named one of the 2016 Outstanding Educators of the Year. (courtesy photo)She was honored as one of four Teachers College/Cowin Financial Literacy Scholars, a recognition designated by Joyce Cowin, trustee, of the Teachers College at Columbia University, according to a news release.
"I was humbled to have received this award for doing something that I love," Brennan said. "Teaching financial literacy is an important component of any high school curriculum, but particularly at a girls' school.
"I can't emphasize enough how important it is for females to learn the basics of credit, debt, and money management so that they can make well-informed financial decisions in the future. Our country's future depends on it."
Brennan holds a bachelor of science in Economics from St. Peter's University and an Master of Arts in Economics from Rutgers University.
She has instructed all areas of mathematics from algebra to AP Statistics and introduced both the economics and financial literacy programs at Mount Saint Mary Academy, growing both programs into two of the most popular electives at the school.
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Outside of the classroom, Brennan has mentored her students in the Euro and Fed Challenges - two academic competitions that involve the analysis of economic issues in Europe and the United States.
Commendations for her work in secondary education include the 2012 NJ Nonpublic Teacher of the Year, the 2013 Sloan Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in Economics and the 2013 Muriel Siebert Educator of the Year Award.
An active member of the National and New Jersey Councils of Economic Education, Brennan has facilitated teacher training workshops on financial literacy and economics in the New York metropolitan area.