Ms. Elia Kenney

“The legacy of Dr. Linda Curtis lives on through educators like Elia Kenney,” said DoDEA Director Thomas Brady. “As the first music teacher recipient of the Educator of Promise, Ms. Kenney represents a critical line-of-effort in our schools. Exposure to music education helps to stimulate students’ brains in unique ways that assists in the development of language, reasoning, and mathematic skills. Through her exemplary work at Ankara EHS, Ms. Kenney shows her deep commitment to military-connected students and her incredible potential as a teacher leader in DoDEA.”

Elia Kenney teaches secondary band, guitar, and elementary specials at AEHS in Ankara, Turkey. As a former DoDEA student, Kenney is thrilled to now serve as a teacher, sharing her love of music with military-connected kids. Her experiences as a military child shaped her worldview, inspiring cross-cultural curiosities that ultimately led to her teaching career. The community she found as a band student mitigated the challenges she experienced when repatriating after living abroad. These formative connections motivate her to provide a place for her students to share their voices.