Now in its sixth year, the 2025 CS4Philly Computer Science Teacher Awards continue to spotlight outstanding educators advancing computer science (CS) education in Philadelphia.

“These educators exemplify the CS4Philly mission of making high-quality computer science education accessible to all students,” said Naomi G. Housman, co-founder of CS4Philly. “Whether in elementary, middle, high school classrooms or out of school time programs, they are creating opportunities, building pathways, and helping students realize their potential through CS. The annual awards are an opportunity both to celebrate and to build community among Philadelphia’s CS educators.”

Raheem Chowdhury, a CS teacher at Olney High School, is the recipient of this year’s Early Achievement Award recognizing educators who have taught CS for five years or less. A proud School District of Philadelphia (SDP) graduate, Raheem was inspired to teach by his high school physics teacher. Since he began teaching computer science at Olney three years ago, Raheem has built a multi-year CS pathway that empowers students to gain mastery of CS skills, industry certifications and dual-enrollment opportunities. This year alone, more than 15 Olney students earned college credits and IT and CS credentials. Through his inclusive and inspiring teaching approach and extensive recruitment outreach, Raheem has engaged hundreds of students in computer science.

Maureen Brown, a Technology Integration Specialist in the SDP Office of Educational Technology, is the recipient of this year’s Sustained Impact Award recognizing educators who have taught CS for more than five years. Maureen has dedicated 36 years to Philadelphia schools, beginning as a Digital Literacy teacher and now serving as a K–8 Instructional Technology Coach. She currently supports 11 schools, co-teaching and modeling lessons with a strong focus on robotics and coding to ignite early interest in computer science. Maureen’s sustainability-focused coaching equips teachers to continue computer science instruction independently, fostering more interactive, relevant, and engaging learning experiences for all students.

“Teachers like Mr. Chowdhury and Ms. Brown are expanding access to computer science and delivering measurable results,” said Dr. Tammy Pirmann, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Drexel University and Co-Principal Investigator for Jumpstart Philly. “Their impact underscores the importance of investing in teacher preparation and development to ensure that all Philadelphia students can access high quality CS education.”

The CS Teacher Awards are presented by CS4Philly in partnership with Jumpstart Philly CS for All and CSTA Philly. The awards ceremony, on June 5 at Spasso Italian Grill, honored this year’s awardees and celebrates all Philadelphia CS teachers.

CSTA Philly is Philadelphia’s chapter of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), an organization run by teachers, for teachers with the goal of growing the CS community to ensure every educator has a home. CSTA Philly offers a forum for the exchange of curriculum ideas, sparking collaboration among and between educators in secondary schools and universities in the greater Philadelphia area, to help fuel continued improvement in the teaching of Computer Science. We promote Computer Science education and support K-16 educators by raising public awareness of Computer Science and its many subfields, and the value of a Computer Science education to the next generation of students.