Brownell and Thompson Awards

The Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation is thrilled to announce the recipients of both the Brownell and Thompson Awards for Cape educators. The Thompson Award, named in memory of Timmy Thompson, celebrates a member of the Cape Elizabeth school community who has gone above and beyond for students. Our annual Brownell Award, in honor of retired CEHS teacher Elaine Brownell, celebrates an outstanding grant from a previous year.

2026 Brownell Award: Caitlin Ramsey and Missy Shabo
CEMS band and chorus directors Caitlin Ramsey and Missy Shabo were honored for their “JaRod Hall Residency & World Premiere Performance” grant, which brought composer JaRod Hall to work with CEMS and CEHS musicians. Seventh graders refined his piece Time Lord with the composer himself, and the 8th grade band premiered his newest work, Tock, at the spring concert. Yet for Ramsey and Shabo, the most important part happened before the performance: “It happened when our students realized that their ideas could shape a new piece of music… They weren’t simply learning a piece of music. They were a part of putting a new piece of music into the world.”

2026 Thompson Award: Stephen Price
This year’s award went to Stephen Price, who recently retired after decades leading the Cape Elizabeth Middle School Theater Program. Nominated by numerous colleagues, Price was praised for creating opportunities for students of all abilities and experience levels, helping each one find their place and succeed, and for being a trusted source of guidance and support to fellow staff. “I feel like I have been rewarded almost every day of my time working in Cape,” Price said. “This is like icing on the cake.” In accepting, he thanked his fellow staff for “doing all the hundreds of things that nobody puts in a job description,” adding, “I may have retired from teaching, but I don’t think a person ever really retires from being a teacher. I am very, very fortunate to have been a teacher, and even more so to have been a teacher here.”

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CEEF Brownell Award

The CEEF Brownell Award, named in honor of retired high school mathematics teacher Elaine Brownell. This award recognizes a faculty member who did an outstanding job implementing a CEEF grant during the prior year.

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CEEF Thompson Award

This annual award was established in memory of Timmy Thompson, a Cape graduate whose kindness and generous spirit was well known throughout Cape Elizabeth. This award honors a faculty or staff member who goes above and beyond what is expected, providing a lasting and meaningful impact on Cape Elizabeth students. The Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation is pleased to give this award at the end of August each year. 

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