Annual Copenhaver Institute for Teaching and Learning is back

Updated June 23, 2022: 

Roanoke City Council member and former educator Anita James Price received the 2022 Helen C. Hanes Friend of Education Award June 22 at the 23rd annual Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching and Learning, held at Roanoke College.  

The award is given biennially to honor an individual whose life and work reflect the ideals of the life of Helen C. Hanes, the benefactor who founded the Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching and Learning, a professional development institute for educators hosted by Roanoke College. 

Price was recognized for her lifelong work as an educator, public servant and dedicated advocate for youth. She dedicated 35 years to public school education as a teacher and school counselor in both Baltimore, Maryland, and in Roanoke City Public Schools. She is involved in many civic, state, national and church-related organizations and truly enjoys giving back to the community as a public servant. 

“Mrs. Price genuinely cares and powerfully advocates for youth and families in our community,” Copenhaver Institute co-director, Leslie Murrill, said. “She is a blessing to many. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to honor her.” 

In 2008, Price was elected as the first African American woman to serve on Roanoke City Council. In 2016, she was re-elected for a third term and served as Roanoke’s first female African American vice mayor. Since completing her term of office in 2020 she was called upon this April to serve once again on the Council, filling a vacant position for the remainder of 2022. 

Price devotes her platform to advocacy for children, youth and their families. She has worked with several organizations to reinstate the City of Roanoke’s Youth Services Citizen’s Board, which has successfully sponsored an Annual Youth Summit. Price has been recognized with numerous awards, including Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Drum Major for Justice Award, NAACP’s Lifetime Achievement Award and High Street Baptist Church’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award.  

Price attended Hampton University and earned a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Virginia Tech. 

Original post, June 20, 2022: 

Educators from all over Virginia will gather at Roanoke College June 20-22, 2022 for The Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching and Learning. The theme for this year’s institute is Rekindling the Spark: Creating Communities of Care for Educators and Students. Educators have adapted, innovated, coped, over-extended and sacrificed in order to serve children and provide the best education possible. This year, the Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute seeks to support Virginia educators by organizing an institute that re-energizes teachers through acknowledging struggles and offering strategies for re-invigoration.   

The Helen C. Hanes Friend of Education Award will be given to Anita James Price at the Copenhaver Institute’s closing luncheon on Wednesday, June 22. Price dedicated 35 years to public school education as a teacher and school counselor in both Baltimore, Maryland, and in Roanoke City Public Schools. She is a member of the Roanoke City Council.  

This year we welcome three exciting keynote speakers. Gerry Brooks, school administrator and social media presence, will speak humor into the various struggles of those in PK-12 education. We also welcome Dr. Carol Pelletier Radford, former classroom teacher and teacher education administrator, who will offer research-based strategies to support the inner lives of educators and protect the profession. Finally, Kelsey Myers, LMFT, will address strategies to help educators cope with the impact of daily stressors as a result of this unprecedented time of chaos and change.  

The overarching focuses for the Copenhaver Institute include: 

• Uplifting the profession
• Reflecting on our purpose 
• Fostering resilience 
• Protecting positive perspective 
• Nurturing collaboration among educators and students 
• Sustaining inclusive, adaptive schools that ensure all students thrive.  

For questions regarding the Institute, please visit the MSCI page.