Newport Public Education Foundation Announces 2026 Noreen Stonor Drexel Award Recipients

Foundation will also honor three outstanding educators, including the Newport Public Schools Teacher of the Year, Rhode Island Computer Science and Hospitality Teacher of the Year, at An Evening for Education on October 22

NEWPORT, R.I., August 27, 2026 — The Newport Public Education Foundation (NPEF) today announced the recipients of its 2026 Noreen Stonor Drexel Education Awards, which recognize individuals and organizations whose work has strengthened Newport’s public schools. The awards will be presented at An Evening for Education, NPEF’s signature fall fundraiser, on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at Innovate Newport.

This year’s Noreen Stonor Drexel Award recipients are:

• Friend of Education: FabNewport — Founded in 2013 as a Fab Lab in Newport’s North End, FabNewport has grown into a thriving youth development organization offering hands-on learning in making, coding, design, environmental science, and entrepreneurship — meeting students in classrooms, after-school programs, and community spaces across the city, and opening doors to paid internships, mentorship, and career pathways for Newport youth.
• Partner in Education: newportFILM — Through newportFILM EDU, the organization has connected Newport students with acclaimed documentaries, visiting filmmakers, and thought-provoking conversations, extending learning beyond the classroom. From in-school screenings to filmmaker Q&As, these experiences open doors to storytelling, filmmaking, and the arts.
• Unsung Heroes: Barbara & Jimmy Winters — Since founding the Newport Housing Hotline in 1978, Barbara and Jimmy Winters have served as a steady, behind-the-scenes lifeline for Newport’s most vulnerable residents, helping more than one hundred thousand individuals and families across Newport County find emergency shelter and assistance — work that reaches directly into Newport’s classrooms by helping students arrive at school safe, stable, and ready to learn.

NPEF will also honor three educators for excellence in teaching:

• Diane McBrier — Newport Public Schools Teacher of the Year
• Anthony Hanos — Rhode Island Computer Science Teacher of the Year
• Chef Matthew Reilly — Rhode Island Hospitality Teacher of the Year

“Each year, the Noreen Stonor Drexel Awards remind us that Newport’s public schools are strengthened by an entire community of people who show up for our students — as partners, as neighbors, and as educators. FabNewport, newportFILM, and Barbara and Jimmy Winters each represent a different kind of generosity, but all three share the same quiet dedication to Newport’s young people. Alongside them, we’re proud to celebrate Diane McBrier, Anthony Hanos, and Chef Matthew Reilly, three educators whose work in our classrooms shapes students’ lives every single day. We hope the community will join us on October 22 to honor them all, “said Dr. Kimberly Behan, President of the Newport Public Education Foundation.

More details about the event and ticket information will be announced soon.

Newport Public Education Foundation and Airbnb Announce New Math Education Initiative for Newport Public Schools

Initiative will launch with a free community screening of Counted Out on November 2 at Rogers High School

NEWPORT, R.I. — The Newport Public Education Foundation (NPEF) has awarded a $20,000 grant, funded by a donation from Airbnb, to Newport Public Schools to launch a new mathematics initiative during the 2026–2027 school year. The “Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics and Financial Literacy” initiative will focus on strengthening the teaching and learning of algebra and financial literacy for students in grades 6–12.

Through the initiative, Newport educators will explore teaching practices designed to move students beyond passive, rote work toward active mathematical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. The grant will support professional learning for a cohort of 10–12 Newport Public Schools mathematics educators and instructional coaches through workshops, instructional planning, and coaching, with a particular focus on Algebra I and financial literacy.

“Newport has a significant opportunity to strengthen foundational math skills, algebraic thinking, and practical financial literacy for its students—and to address an achievement gap that can affect students’ future educational and economic opportunities,” said Patti Aull, Newport Public Schools’ Director of Curriculum and Instruction.

The initiative will provide participating educators with a supportive environment in which to learn, apply, and refine new instructional approaches. The goal is to strengthen classroom practices that help more students develop confidence, persistence, and deeper mathematical understanding. On the 2024 Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS), 13.6% of Newport students in grades 3–8 met or exceeded expectations in mathematics, compared with 30.1% statewide, underscoring the need for focused investment in this area.

“Airbnb is proud to contribute in meaningful ways to the communities that we are in, whether by driving economic development, supporting local non-profit organizations, or contributing resources that help communities build programs that are important to them, as we are doing in collaboration with NPEF. The initiative Newport Public Schools is launching has the potential to be transformational and we are excited to be part of it,” said Britte McBride, Public Policy Manager for Airbnb.

The initiative draws on the Building Thinking Classrooms framework, which emphasizes active problem-solving, student collaboration, and classrooms in which all students are expected and supported to engage in mathematical thinking. These approaches can be particularly valuable in classrooms serving students with varied learning needs, including multilingual learners and students receiving special education services.

NPEF estimates that the educators participating in the initiative will reach approximately 125–150 Newport students during the grant period, with the potential for the practices to benefit additional students over time.

“Thanks to this generous grant from Airbnb, we’re able to invest directly in the educators who shape our students’ relationship with math every day,” said Dr. Kimberly Behan, President of the Newport Public Education Foundation. “Building Thinking Classrooms gives our teachers powerful new tools to help students build confidence and real understanding in math — and that’s exactly the kind of investment that changes outcomes for Newport’s kids.”

NPEF, with community partners, will launch the initiative with a free community screening of the award-winning documentary Counted Out on November 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Rogers High School. The film explores the growing importance of mathematical literacy in determining who has access to educational, economic, and civic opportunities. Additional event details and registration information will be announced soon.

The Newport Public Education Foundation focuses on supporting public education and expanding opportunity for every student in the Newport community. To accomplish this, we fund educational projects that offer equitable and impactful learning, invest in educators, elevate student voice, and build strong partnerships with families and the community.