Wilkes University held a Celebration of Education event on Nov. 9 to honor alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the field of education.

Heights-Murray Elementary School teacher Kevin Sickle was honored with the 2016 Educator of the Year Award.

The event took place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the second floor ballroom of the Henry Student Center. Proceeds from the event went toward benefiting scholarships for education students at Wilkes.

Wilkes also recognized two graduates of its doctor of education program with the Diane Place Doctoral Dissertation Award.

Honorees included Jillian Mullen, executive director of the Schuylkill Community Education Council in Mahanoy City, Pa., and Dawn Sutton, who received a bachelor’s degree at Wilkes in 1974.

Sutton is a math and special education teacher for high school students. Both women were awarded their doctor of education degrees in May 2016.

Sickle is a 2003 Wilkes graduate with his bachelor’s degree in psychology and an elementary education certificate, and a 2009 Wilkes graduate with his master’s degree in educational development and strategies. He has been a fifth grade math and science teacher at Heights-Murray Elementary School in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District for 12 years.

He has served as second vice president of the Wilkes-Barre Area Education Association for four years. In addition, he has been the director of the Heights-Murray Elementary School spelling bee for 12 years and the director of its science fair for 10 years.