Clara Principe ’24 and Monica Madey ’06 are among the group of five seniors and five teachers from Little Rock high schools who have been named recipients of the 2024 Stephens Award by The City Education Trust in honor of their outstanding achievements. This year’s program provided $5,000 scholarships to the selected students and $5,000 cash awards to the chosen instructors. The recipients will be honored during a ceremony and reception on Tuesday, April 16, at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce AT&T Auditorium.
Clara is currently ranked fifth in her class and is an AP Scholar with Distinction enrolled in six AP courses at Mount St. Mary Academy this year. Among her many accomplishments outside of the classroom, she has served as president of the HoneyBelles Bee Club for two years. The group manages three bee hives on campus and organizes educational events for the community about the importance of pollinators. Clara is also president of Quiz Bowl, Poetry Club, Chess Club, and National Junior Classical League; vice president of the American Sign Language Club; and a member of Odyssey of the Mind, National Honor Society, Concert Belles, Honor Council, and Link Crew.
Clara’s involvement in HoneyBelles throughout high school sparked an interest in insects that she will pursue as a Schedler Honors Scholar at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where she completed a summer internship in a bee lab in 2023. She plans to major in biology and environmental science with the goal of pursuing entomology and doing research in that field. Clara was also accepted into the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville; the University of Florida in Gainesville; Hendrix College in Conway, Ark.; and Rutgers University Honors College in New Brunswick, N.J.
Her selection as a Stephens Award winner took Clara by surprise. “I was confused when I first got the letter, as it was from an address I didn’t recognize, but I was so excited once I opened it,” she said. “It is such an honor to be selected.”
Ms. Madey has taught at Mount St. Mary Academy, her alma mater, for 11 years. She currently teaches all sophomore-level English courses, including honors courses. Ms. Madey first received the Stephens Award as a student, during her senior year at Mount in 2006. The scholarship helped her to study abroad in England while she was enrolled at the University of Arkansas.
“I laughed out loud in shock when I received the letter,” Ms. Madey said of her reaction to winning this year’s Stephens Award. “It is such an honor to be counted among the outstanding teachers who have won this award in previous years, especially my colleagues at Mount. I feel inspired and challenged daily by their example.”
In addition to teaching English, Ms. Madey is a longtime coach of Mount’s Odyssey of the Mind team, a group she was also involved in throughout high school. The creative problem-solving program promotes teamwork, STEM and the arts internationally. Under Ms. Madey’s leadership, the school’s team has regularly been awarded first or second place in regional and state competitions. Last year marked the 12th straight year the team had advanced to the World Finals. In 2022, the team finished 2nd overall in the final competition, which remains the program’s greatest achievement to date.
Ms. Madey was also awarded the inaugural Compassionate Educator Award during Mount St. Mary Academy’s Women’s History Month all-school assembly in March. Chosen via a campuswide nomination and voting process, the award honors a faculty member who has gone above and beyond to incorporate the principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion into their teaching duties.
Congratulations, Clara and Ms. Madey!
