The Lewis Award Committee has announced that Mrs. Cynthia ‘Cindi’ Messina, K-8 Art Teacher at St. Raphael School in Raleigh, is the Recipient of the 2014-2015 Msgr. Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mrs. Messina, who also teaches part time at Our Lady of Lourdes School, has taught for 16 years in the Schools in the Diocese of Raleigh, of which 14 have been at St. Raphael School.

In addition to her teaching, Mrs. Messina is very active in Diocesan projects, as Catholic Schools Live, Pinwheels for Peace, and as a speaker at Diocesan Conferences; in her Church and School communities; and has received a number of awards for her work in advertising, with HBO, and other organizations.

Asked what she hoped her students remembered most about her as a teacher, Mrs. Messina said she wanted “them to keep their eyes open to see the beauty in what God created and what they can create themselves”.

Mr. John Mihalyo, principal of St. Raphael School, said of Mrs. Messina, “She is one of the few teachers I have ever seen that has an impact on the overall school community in so many different aspects. She has been teaching at St. Raphael since 1999 and was the school’s first and only art teacher for all grades, K-8. In that time, Mrs. Messina has bought so much to St. Raphael’s through her ingenuity, leadership, and willingness to make the school a better place.”

Mrs. Messina received her education at William Paterson University earning a BA in Art Education and Graphic Design. The Lewis Award will be presented to Mrs. Messina at a Presentation Liturgy on April 22nd.