Educator honored for outstanding work with children

He got his start in education in 1974 at Avalon Elementary School in Fort Washington, where he taught fifth-graders for 13 years.

After five years as a math teacher at Lord Baltimore Academy in Oxon Hill and six years as an administrative assistant and vice principal at Forestville High School, Morris moved on to Stephen Decatur Middle School in Clinton as an assistant principal for six years. He retired in 2004.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation of Prince George’s County presented Morris, 56, with one of three Advocates for Education awards Jan. 24 at the foundation’s first awards ceremony for his outstanding work with students.

‘‘I’ve been a role model for thousands of people over the years,” Morris said. ‘‘I was there for them when they needed me, and they remember that now that they’re older.”

At Forestville High, Morris was one of the first administrators in the county to introduce the Renaissance Program, a monthly incentive program that recognizes students and staff who show improvement in attendance, academics and behavior. Awards students received range from gift certificates and movie passes to plaques and recognition at school-wide assemblies. The program is still used in county schools.

Morris said his success as a teacher and administrator was derived from his ability to communicate effectively with students.

‘‘I communicate with young people very well,” Morris said. ‘‘You can’t be a teacher and think that all you do is teach. You have to really get to know your kids. You have to listen to them, so you know where they’re coming from. I’m able to do that.”

These days, Morris devotes most of his time to his duties as executive director of FOCUS and as a member of the Maryland Assembly on School Board Health Care.

As FOCUS’ executive director, Morris works with infants to 5-year-olds, teaching them phonics, color and sound recognition, simple sentences and counting.

There are 90 children in the daycare program and 16 staff members, Morris said.

Funding for FOCUS comes from paid tuition and also from private donations, Morris said.

‘‘They get that foundation and that groundwork for the things they’re going to need to know later,” Morris said of FOCUS.

As a member of the Maryland Assembly on School-Based Health Care, Morris said he works to ensure that all children throughout the state receive the best in-school health care by helping to create an advocacy and public awareness network and get state health services policies enacted. The assembly acts as an advocacy voice for all school-based health centers in the state, according to its Web site.

School-based health centers are easily accessible locations on a school campus where students can go for preventive and primary health care services. There are four school-based health centers at county schools, one each at Bladensburg, Oxon Hill, Northwestern and Fairmount Heights high schools.

Morris’ wife, Patricia, who serves as the county’s director of family services, said her husband has always been willing to give his time and effort to anything that involves children.

‘‘He’s very dedicated,” she said. ‘‘He works to improve anything even remotely related to children. I’ve never seen anybody so dedicated to education and children in this county. He has a big heart.”

Born in Washington, D.C., Morris moved to Prince George’s County when he was in high school. He graduated from Suitland High School and went on to attend the University of the District of Columbia, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1974.

Morris has two sons, Carl and Herbert, and three grandchildren, Simone, Courtney and Miles.

E-mail Jonathan Stein at jstein@gazette.net.