Magna Award for Innovation in Civic and Cultural Learning Experiences

Malverne Union Free School District has been honored as a National School Boards Association (NSBA) 2023 Magna Award winner. The district received the Honorable Mention recognition for its commitment to encourage and inspire community support and civic engagement. Recent district highlights including the highly publicized student-led campaign that resulted in a street named for a town founder with racist roots being renamed.

Sponsored by NSBA’s flagship magazine, American School Board Journal (ASBJ), the Magna Awards has a long history of recognizing exemplary school district programs.

The 2023 awards program recognizes district programs that solved a challenge with creativity and out-of-the-box strategies.

Malverne was selected by an independent panel of judges.

The effort to rename Lindner Place was a three-year endeavor that culminated on Jan. 26, 2023, when the district held a ceremony, led by student advocates, officially renaming the street Acorn Way. The street was originally named for Paul Lindner, a banker and landowner in Malverne who was a prominent leader in the Ku Klux Klan at the height of the organization’s influence in the 1920s. The new named is a tribute to the Malverne town motto “Oaks from Acorns”.

“For more than 25 years, the Magna Awards have recognized innovative school district programs,” said NSBA Executive Director and CEO Dr. John Heim. “Each of our winners exemplifies how school leaders and district staff have reinvented learning — and learning environments — for students, staff, and communities. We congratulate our winners and thank them for their hard work and devotion to the students they serve. We also hope these programs will provide information and inspiration to school districts facing similar challenges across the country.”

Malverne will be highlighted in the April issue of ASBJ, set to be published on Monday, March 20 at www.nsba.org/asbj.

Date Added: 3/3/2023