News

Shionka McGlory has been selected as the 2024-2025 Unity Learning Academy Support Professional of the Year!

Shionka has been part of Team Tulsa for nine years. This is her third year as the parent involvement facilitator at Unity. 

She said she wanted to work in education because of fond memories of her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. McFadden.

"She reminds me of Ms. Honey from Matilda. I can't remember much from my elementary school years, but I remember Mrs. McFadden and how she took care of me," said Shionka. "Simply put, I wanted to be who I needed/had when I was younger. Everyone needs that person - she was mine."

While Shionka started as a teacher's assistant, she soon realized she wanted a job that allowed her to help students across the entire school.

"Being a parent facilitator has opened my eyes to so much in public education and the actual day-to-day events during a school day. I love what I do. I love knowing all of our scholars by name. I am always trying to host an engaging family event or activity so that our families feel connected and welcomed in our building and in the district. I have made so many connections with our Unity family, within TPS and even outside of TPS because of my position and I am grateful for such connections."

Outside of work, Shionka loves to read. In fact, she owned a bookstore for about five years. She said her favorite book is children's book called The Magic of We.