St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School faculty member Rachel Malde has received the Hubert Smothers Award from the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools, recognizing outstanding service and dedication to independent education in Tennessee.

Malde teaches upper and middle school art courses and serves as the school’s service coordinator.

“This award recognizes teachers who have more than 20 years in the teaching profession and have distinguished themselves through their commitment to students’ needs and their ability to inspire students,” Phillips said. “Rachel has demonstrated her commitment to our students in the classroom, as an advisor, and as our service coordinator. We are pleased that TAIS selected her for this award.”

Malde joined the school’s faculty in 2002 as technology director before moving into the classroom as an art teacher. A longtime middle school adviser, she helped create the eighth-grade “This I Believe” capstone project and served for several years as middle school director. As chair of the arts department, she helps students and faculty organize handmade crafts to sell during the Tennessee Craft South annual holiday studio tour.

As service coordinator, Malde has planned outreach opportunities for students, including building beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, completing home repairs and providing a half-day morning camp for children and families on the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. She also organized and led student service trips hosted by Boys’ Town Jamaica in Kingston, where students tutored local children and helped refurbish buildings.

Another criterion for the award is “meaningful collegiality with faculty, staff, and administration.”

“Great teachers are optimistic, determined, and happy people,” said Karl Sjolund, the school’s head of school. “Rachel is all of these things, which makes her both a great teacher and a wonderful colleague. To put it simply, Rachel makes our school even better than it already is, which is why I’m delighted to see her receive the TAIS Hubert Smothers Excellence in Teaching Award. She is truly deserving of the honor!”