FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Receives $5,000 cash and podcast feature

Madeline Gerena Franco, a high school Computer Science teacher at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois, has been awarded the prestigious Honored National Teaching Award for September 2026. As part of her honor, she received a $5,000 cash award and was featured on Inspiring Teachers: The Honored Podcast.

As a female Hispanic STEM educator, Madeline Gerena Franco takes pride in serving as a role model for students who may face more barriers than others. She is passionate about encouraging all students to pursue a career in Computer Science if it is what they are passionate about, and creating a classroom where students feel represented and supported. 

In partnership with Kode With Klossy to celebrate National Coding Week, Madeline Gerena Franco was nominated for this award by district partners and multiple students for her engaging and interactive classroom environment. She is passionate about breaking down difficult concepts into smaller, more approachable lessons that stick with her students. In her student Joey O’Brien’s words, “She breaks down really complicated terms and really complicated units into really small activities where we can truly understand the content that’s given to us in a way that will be fun for us and the class.”

To hear more about the inspiring impact of Madeline Gerena Franco’s teaching, listen to her story at https://www.honored.org/honoree/madeline-gerena-franco.

Honored is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping great teachers in the classroom and inspiring a new generation of talent to pursue teaching. Each month of the school year, Honored shines a spotlight on a teacher who has changed the life of a single student. The Honoree receives a $5,000 cash award, and Honored shares their story on their podcast and social media. Honorees are selected from Pre-K-12 teachers of all subjects at public, private, and charter schools across the country.

For more information about Honored, visit honored.org. To nominate a teacher, visit honored.org/nominate.  For regular updates on Honored and our monthly Honorees, follow and like us on Facebook, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You can also listen to our podcast at https://honored.podbean.com/.

Honored Press Contact

Karen Sonneborn

[email protected]

310-738-6879