Cindy Michelini

Cindy Michelini has served as an elementary educator for the past 21 years. During this time, she has also served her district as the K-6 ELA Department Chairperson and as a K-5 Science Department Chairperson. She has been the recipient of a dozen grants, all aimed at creative teaching and learning. Cindy volunteers her time as a Master Gardener and currently facilitates an after-school club, called "SPROUT Garden Club," as part of the Junior Master Gardener Program. She also volunteers at her local church, St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Freeport, as a Youth Ministry Director and also created a new ministry called "Creativity Club," aimed at bringing students in grades K-6 together to engage with maker learning. Cindy has been selected to speak at numerous education conferences on the topic of creativity in the classroom, and continues to integrate with creativity with her students. In her free time, Cindy enjoys illustrating and writing children's books, under the author name, Cynthia Anne. Her books "The Red-Orange Bunny," "Must Be Monarch," and "Kingdom, A Poetry Book," are her own examples of the joy of creativity. Cindy was selected as an educator for the Fred Roger's Institute's Educators' Neighborhood. She has been a member of the Remake Learning Network for over 5 years, and will continue to advocate for the integration of creativity and wonder for all children to experience.