CET is ME Returns April 10 Honoring Local Educators
Our annual CET is ME event returns for another year to celebrate the work of local educators. The 2025 theme, “PBS KIDS at Heart,” reminisces on the little learners that we all once were and many still are in our hearts. After all, we are all lifelong learners with PBS programming! We hope to see you join us on Thursday, April 10, from 5:30pm to 9pm at Longworth Hall in Cincinnati. Purchase your tickets today: https://www.cetconnect.org/cet-is-me/.
Each year at CET is ME, we honor unsung community heroes with The Dr. O’dell M. Owens Community Hero Award. Dr. Owens was a long-time volunteer at CET and chaired the Action Auction for more than 12 years. His support for the station and many other organizations in our community was truly heroic. In that light, we’ve selected four individuals and organizations whose work in education reflects Dr. Owens’ legacy.
Kevin Corey
Executive Director – Wesley Mission Chapel Center Enrichment Programs
Melissa Kincaid
Cincinnati Public School Educator
Marchelle Owens
Cincinnati Public School Educator
The Al Hampton Mentoring Program
At Oyler Elementary School
Learn more about the 2025 recipients below:
Kevin Corey – Wesley Mission Chapel Center
Kevin Corey has served as the Executive Director of the Wesley Chapel Mission Center, located in Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, since October 2020. He oversees a variety of after-school and enrichment programs and has also coached inner-city youth football, wrestling and track.
Anchored by his experiences in community activism, Kevin serves on the Cincinnati 3CDC Steering Development Committee and as the secretary of the ServeOhio Commission, appointed by Governor Mike DeWine in 2023. He is also a Scholar Doctoral Candidate at Indiana Wesleyan University, majoring in Business.
Kevin’s previous roles include Associate Director of Talbert House, Department Chair at Brown Mackie College and Village of Lincoln Heights Chief of Police. He spent 25 years with the Fort Wayne, Indiana Police Department before retiring in January 2012. He has served on several municipal organizations, including the Fort Wayne Human Relations Commission and as the founder and first Statewide President of the Indiana School Resource Officer Association.
Kevin is a United States Marine Corps Veteran, an FBI NA 228th graduate and a published author with his book, “Core Redemption.” He and his wife Nicole have been married for over 30 years, and they have five children and 12 grandchildren.
Melissa Kincaid – Cincinnati Public Schools
Melissa Kincaid is a Learning Technologies Trainer for Cincinnati Public Schools. She has been an educator since 2003, with a special passion for creating high-engagement learning experiences through the integration of arts and technology.
Melissa loves working with teachers to empower student creativity and self-efficacy. In addition to training and collaborating with teachers in the Cincinnati area, she also loves spreading her passions with educators everywhere. She looks forward to laughing, learning and growing together!
She has had the pleasure of presenting tools, technologies and strategies for impactful learning for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM), South by SouthWest EDU (SXSW EDU) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Marchelle K. Owens – Cincinnati Public Schools
Marchelle K. Owens has been an educator since 1975 and currently teaches second grade at Hays-Porter Elementary School. Marchelle believes that learning takes place every day no matter how old you are. Nobody can take your education away! She tries to instill this sentiment in her students and encourages them to never stop learning.
Marchelle is the wife of the late Dr. O’dell Owens and she is the mother of three wonderful children Christopher, Justin and Morgan. She enjoys spending time with her dogs Bruno and Little Man, and her granddogs Ralph and Boomer. She is also a skilled cook and baker, and she often shares her creations with her coworkers and students. She enjoys sewing, dancing, exercising and watching movies. Marchelle’s philosophy is “integrity and respect – it is important to do the right thing at all times and to treat others the way you want to be treated”.
She has served on boards for local organizations including Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, ProKids, Advocates for Youth Education and Women’s Alliance Inc. Marchelle has also been a member of the NAACP since 1990 and is a member of Allen Temple AME church.
The Al Hampton Mentoring Program – Oyler School
The Al Hampton Mentoring Foundation is a program at Oyler School that pairs students with volunteer mentors. The goal is to build a meaningful relationship while supporting the child academically to increase confidence and success.
The program serves students in grades 1-4 and, in some cases, up to 6th grade if a mentor chooses to follow their student for consecutive years. Each mentor commits at least 30 minutes each week, with many volunteering multiple days, providing academic, emotional and social support for their student.
Each session provides a safe, one-on-one environment where they can step out of their comfort zone. Whether reading a new book or playing an educational game, students are able to work at levels that meet each of their needs with the support of their mentors.
Oyler School research shows that through one-on-one mentoring, students show improvements in academic performance, attendance, behavior and social skills as well as an increase in self-confidence and motivation.
Quote from an Al Hampton Mentor:
“Each year that I have been a mentor in this program, I have been able to witness both academic and social growth of my students, as well as the pride they display in themselves when they see their improvements as well. By reaching students at this young age and giving them a dependable role model, they see their worth and develop skills that they will be able to use indefinitely.”
