Lifelong Friends Celebrate Their Daughters

This following writeup was submitted by Addie Davis-Wardlaw.

My daughter, Laura Dixon, and my college roommate and best friend’s daughter, LaShante’ James, both received the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) 2025 Assistant Principal of the Year award for their respective school levels. Laura received the elementary award for her exceptional work at John Barry Elementary School in Meriden, and LaShante’ was honored with the high school award for her dedication at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk.

My friend, Dr. Pamela Monk-Kelley (LaShante’s mother), and I, Addie Davis-Wardlaw, first met at Southern Connecticut State University in 1973 while attending their summer program designed to acclimate minority students to college life. There, our friendship began. 

Pamela was from New Haven, an inner city, compared to Colchester, where I was raised in a more suburban environment. I was intrigued by Pamela because she was a young mother to LaTrisha Tucker — who later also became an honored teacher for Monarch Elementary School in Union, S.C., in December 2022 (Teacher of the Year) and May 2023 (District Teacher of the Year). Her ability to juggle her studies and motherhood and still live life made me appreciate her and her drive even more.

While at SCSU, I accompanied Pamela and her family to their hometown in North Carolina. Even though my parents were from the South, up until this point, I had never traveled beyond New York. I visited some of Pamela’s family homes that had outhouses and in-houses; I was confused and later called and questioned my father in disbelief that homes without proper plumbing still existed. He laughed and realized, with 15 siblings and me being the middle child, that he had never traveled with me whenever he returned home to Atlanta, Ga. My exposure and interactions with Pamela truly made me open my eyes and become a better person.

We celebrated many milestones, including when she married her high school sweetheart and LaTrisha’s father, Larry Kelley; I was honored to be one of her bridesmaids. Her family truly became my extended family. Her mother babysat my firstborn, Estelle Jeter. My kids took part in fashion shows and talent shows that Pamela or her sister Marcella Flake had organized. When reunions or gatherings were organized that involved alumni of our summer program or SCSU, we usually took part in the planning. When unexpected grief hit us, especially when I lost my father, my rock, Pamela and her sisters were there for me and my family. When Pamela suffered the unimaginable loss of her only son, Larry Jr., who succumbed to his death because of a car accident, I, along with her strong network of family and friends, were there in solidarity. Anyone who knows Pamela knows she has a strong faith in God and in the power of prayer. She also received her doctoral degree in Theology.

We both graduated from SCSU with Bachelor of Science degrees in special education. I went on to teach Special Education for the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC), and Pamela (or, Dr. Monk-Kelley), without hesitation, joined me for a summer of teaching there. She then dedicated her career to teaching special education students for the New Haven Public Schools, serving in numerous roles, including director for plays, choirs, cheerleader coach, and coordinator and chairperson for Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meetings. After my retirement from the DOC, I also joined the New Haven Public Schools as a special education teacher, and within three years, like Pamela, I became a coordinator, assisting the principal with day-to-day activities.

Throughout the years, our bond remained strong. In 2021, when I returned to work and began working at Highville Charter School, I asked Pamela to join me as a consultant, and she did, because we love brainstorming and working together.

When our daughters received this prestigious award, we immediately called each other. We were initially surprised, then overjoyed, to learn that our daughters had both received such a significant honor from two different districts, yet their paths were cultivated from the same roots.

What’s particularly incredible about these two accomplished young women is that they both attended and graduated from New Haven Public Schools. They furthered their education by receiving scholarships and graduating with honors with their bachelor’s, master’s, and 092 administrative degrees in Education. Notably, one of the universities they attended and received degrees from was SCSU, the same school that Pamela and I received our degrees from. They both began their teaching careers in the same system that taught and inspired them, New Haven Public Schools. Both are married with children between the ages of 6 and 13, and they are both strong individuals deeply committed to children, dedicated to achieving positive outcomes and fostering growth.

These young women, despite their professional success, also navigate significant personal challenges. Laura was surprisingly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024 at the age of 38, and LaShante’s husband was unexpectedly left paralyzed after botched heart surgery in 2023. Yet, they continue to excel in their demanding roles, driven by their passion for their work, their love for their families, and their faith in God.