TELL Awards

Join Us! March 6th, 2025

The Technology in Education through Leadership and Learning (TELL) is an annual awards ceremony that allows us to celebrate and learn from educators and leaders from across the region who transform education. Awardees apply for or are nominated by their peers for their outstanding accomplishments and innovation and are recognized by LHRIC leadership through a selection and review process. This year, we're excited to host a morning event featuring the wonderful Dr. Mervin Jenkins as our Keynote Speaker and will assist as our Master of Ceremonies. His passion for language will truly celebrate our awardees in a heartfelt and inspiring way!
Location: Edith Macy Conference Center, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Date: Thursday, March 6^th • 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Register for the Event

Keynote: Dr. Mervin Jenkins

Mad Scientists in the Lyric Lab: Supporting 3-12 students in Subject Specific Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary and reading comprehension are obstacles to achievement across subject areas, especially science. Join this hands-on interactive experience to see the power of hip-hop, storytelling, and emotional connections to cultivate literacy across the curriculum. Dr. Mervin Jenkins, respected author, educator, and hip-hop artist, will model and highlight free resources to engage students, bring the curriculum to life, and reinforce core knowledge and skills, including reading comprehension.

About Dr. Mervin Jenkins
Dr. Mervin Jenkins, also known as Spectac, is an author, entertainer, and lifelong educator whose work has landed him an NPR interview and a seat at the table in the 2014 Barack Obama White House as a participant in the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. For almost three decades, he has served as a teacher, school administrator, assistant director for a national nonprofit, and senior manager in the ed tech arena. Dr. Jenkins’ love for music has afforded him the opportunity to work with Grammy-nominated hip-hop artists and producers. Dr. Jenkins is the author of two books: Before They Leave Here, While They Are with Us, and most recently, To the Beat of Leadership: A Story of High and Low Notes. He lives on Johns Island in his native state of South Carolina, with his wife, Chiffon.

Join Us: Thursday, March 6 (Morning Event at Edith Macy Conference Center) | Register Today >

TELL Application Information

We are pleased to announce that the application for this year’s TELL Award is now available. This year, the LHRIC will honor recipients in three categories: Outstanding Innovative Teacher, Outstanding Innovative Instructional Technology Coach, and Outstanding Innovative Leader.

These prestigious awards reflect the recognition by their peers in the region of the honorees’ overall excellence, their vision, their ability to inspire others, and the demonstrated effectiveness and sustainability in their use of instructional technology.

Award recipients will be invited to attend the Edith Macy Conference Center in Briarcliff Manor, New York. Recipients will be asked to assist LHRIC staff with a brief biography for the official program and should plan on a short speech (between one and three minutes in length) during the ceremony.