Sharon MacKinnel
Sharon MacKinnel was born to Ed and Fran Rudden, on July 31, 1956. She has lived in Branford her entire life and shared her happy home with her sister Betsy and her brother John. Ironically, her first teaching job was in 1978 at Branford Hills School, where she also attended kindergarten in 1961. She is a product of the Branford School system, graduating from Branford High School in 1974, and has been attending school, either as a student or a teacher, for fifty-two consecutive years. Sharon worked for many years at Shelley's Garden Center prior to and during her early teaching career. She attributes her positive work ethic and her passion for helping things grow, to her time spent at Shelley's. As both a student and a teacher, Sharon always uses humor as a means of communicating. Some of her silly antics were not always appreciated by her teachers, but have always been appreciated by her students.
Sharon married her high school sweetheart, Doug, and together they had two children, Kyle age 28 and Abby age 23, who are the loves of their lives.
In 1978, Sharon graduated from Southern Connecticut State College with a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education and minored in Language Arts. She then received a Graduate Degree in Reading from Southern in 1981. She always had a love for children and always knew that she was meant to be a teacher. Thirty-three of the past thirty-five years have been spent teaching kindergarten. She has been lucky enough to have been surrounded by enthusiastic and eager little students her whole professional career. Imagine going to work on a cold, gray Monday morning and being greeted by a hug and a little voice saying, "Hi Mrs. MacKinnel, I missed you!" What a great job!
Sharon has been nominated for Teacher of the Year in Branford and is listed in the registry of Who's Who Among American Teachers. She, along with her friend and colleague, Kathy Nelson, founded the Elementary Softball Tournament. Over the years, $25,000 was raised for many children's funds in Branford. Since beginning her teaching career she has volunteered for numerous children's causes, such as: The Branford Education Association Children's Fund Toy Drive, The Joey Fund, The Myelin Project, The Branford Counseling Center as a Family Holiday Sponsor, Juvenile Diabetes and Brian's Hope.
Sharon researched and then piloted the first full day Branford kindergarten in 2008. She has served on several curriculum development committees over the years and most recently, helped revise the new Common Core Standards Based Report Card.
Sharon realizes the importance of teamwork and knows that her success has been possible because of the efforts of so many dedicated individuals, including support staff and volunteers. Her endless energy for the last thirty-five years has helped countless children to not only enjoy their first school experience but to succeed in the future.
Sharon married her high school sweetheart, Doug, and together they had two children, Kyle age 28 and Abby age 23, who are the loves of their lives.
In 1978, Sharon graduated from Southern Connecticut State College with a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education and minored in Language Arts. She then received a Graduate Degree in Reading from Southern in 1981. She always had a love for children and always knew that she was meant to be a teacher. Thirty-three of the past thirty-five years have been spent teaching kindergarten. She has been lucky enough to have been surrounded by enthusiastic and eager little students her whole professional career. Imagine going to work on a cold, gray Monday morning and being greeted by a hug and a little voice saying, "Hi Mrs. MacKinnel, I missed you!" What a great job!
Sharon has been nominated for Teacher of the Year in Branford and is listed in the registry of Who's Who Among American Teachers. She, along with her friend and colleague, Kathy Nelson, founded the Elementary Softball Tournament. Over the years, $25,000 was raised for many children's funds in Branford. Since beginning her teaching career she has volunteered for numerous children's causes, such as: The Branford Education Association Children's Fund Toy Drive, The Joey Fund, The Myelin Project, The Branford Counseling Center as a Family Holiday Sponsor, Juvenile Diabetes and Brian's Hope.
Sharon researched and then piloted the first full day Branford kindergarten in 2008. She has served on several curriculum development committees over the years and most recently, helped revise the new Common Core Standards Based Report Card.
Sharon realizes the importance of teamwork and knows that her success has been possible because of the efforts of so many dedicated individuals, including support staff and volunteers. Her endless energy for the last thirty-five years has helped countless children to not only enjoy their first school experience but to succeed in the future.