Cynthia A. McKenzie

Lulu Ross Elementary School
Milford School District
Milford, Delaware
cmckenzi@msd.k12.de.us

Cynthia A. McKenzie has served Milford students and families for 29 years at Lulu Ross Elementary School. In her 11-year career as an administrator, her colleagues say she has “never lost sight of the pulse of the classroom,” drawing on decades of teaching experience to model her commitment to constant growth and improvement. McKenzie’s leadership style is also collaborative, which is both important and challenging at a school as large as Ross, which hosts six classrooms per grade level as well as multiple specialized programs, including a Spanish immersion program for grades 1-5 and an Autism program. In collaboration with community agencies, the Autism program keeps students with Autism in-district so that they can learn and grow in their own community, and McKenzie says that implementing these programs contributes to a schoolwide embrace of diversity and differentiated instruction for all learners. McKenzie has also overseen a successful transition in ELA instruction to address an influx of ML students in the school, despite challenges brought on by the pandemic. Ross was honored by the state as a Recognition School in 2018-2019 and 2021-2022, a Banner School in 2018, and a Unified Champion School in 2019 by Special Olympics. McKenzie holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Instruction from the University of Delaware, and a School Leadership certificate from Wilmington University.