Sheena Graham was educated in the Public School System of Ansonia, Connecticut. She received her B.S. in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University, and 30+from St. Joseph's and Southern CT State Universities. She became certified to teach grades Pre K-12 and in February of the 1982-83 school year, her career began.
In September of 2021 she began her 39th and final year of teaching. On the elementary level Sheena worked with children in both Ansonia and Bridgeport. Her duties included teaching general music, chorus, keyboard classes, directing a boys’ choir, parent/teacher/student choir, and gospel choir. She wrote, produced and directed original musicals based on school themes and created teaching tools to help other teachers reach their students i.e. in the 80’s she was writing raps in Latin based on the vocabulary words Longfellow students needed to learn each week! Her after school commitments have included drill team, a dance troupe, being assistant softball coach, coaching cheerleading, running a poetry club, and teaching free piano and drama classes at "HAMFA" (The Hall Academy of Music and Fine Arts housed at Hall Neighborhood House in Bridgeport.)
Sheena's high school assignments, (Harding and Central in Bridgeport,) included teaching Choir, a Black History Chorale, Peer Leadership, Theatre, Piano, and Performing Arts. Under her leadership the Harding Cheerleaders brought home the Fairfield County "Spirit Stick two years in a row," the Peer Leaders produced a CD to raise money for the homeless and the Harding and Central School Choirs won a total of: 9 -‘Overall’, 31-1st place, 3 - 2nd place, and 24 individual trophies. After missing out on being Grand Champions by 4 hundredths of a point one year, they brought that title home the following year!
In her leadership role Sheena has presented workshops such as: "Music Lessons That Work" Parts 1 & 2, “Donors Choose” a Teacher’s Survival Kit, "Incorporating Other Subjects Into Music Lessons," The Parent Teacher Connection," "African American History in Your Classroom," “Why We Sing,”(the purpose of music in ministry,) "Do You Read Me?" (music literacy,) and “Creating a Culture of Belonging and Engagement.”
Her recording and writing experiences include: a video, - "Safety Nets For Children," by Psyche Productions - a CD, "Here Comes The Bride," by Free-Key Records-ERX Productions, a series of books, "Children Learn Through Rhyme and Rhythm," by Hokey, Dokey Productions, musicals-“It’s Okay To Be Me I + II,” and a play entitled “Hesitations.” The Bridgeport School District chose a song written by Sheena and sung by her students to be their district song entitled "Bridgeport Reach!" Some of her more recent songs include “We’ve Not Forgotten You,” (For those affected by the L’Ambiance Plaza collapse,) “Reaching Isn’t Always Easy,” “My Destiny,” (performed at the White House for Mrs. Obama, Dr. Biden and the Governor’s wives February 2014,) “A Witness” (For the Witness Breast Cancer Project,) “Somebody Might Be You,” (for Child Abuse Victims,) “A Flame That Never Dies” (written in response to the Newtown tragedy and the senseless deaths occurring all too often,) “It’s Not How You Start” performed by Tisdale students for Mrs. Obama, (2016 White House Talent Show,) and “We Can If We Believe” performed at the Kennedy Center in March of 2018. Constance Baker Motley, a monologue written by Sheena, was performed at The Westport Country Playhouse in February of 2021. Her current projects include: “Maybe’s Won’t Save Me” for Bully/Teen Suicide Prevention and “It’s Time For Change.” a call to action for America in response to the senseless shootings involving police and of police.
Sheena has been recognized by Mayors Finch, Fabrizi & Ganim of Bridgeport, Mayor Cassetti of Ansonia and numerous other organizations. She was honored to receive the Key to the City from both Bridgeport and Ansonia. Awards received over her career, include the Beard Excellence in Teaching Award, the Outstanding Teacher Recognition Award, the Phi Delta Kappa Educator’s Golden Apple Award and a Choral Director of Distinction Award. She received the Teacher of the Year Award from: Bridgeport, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women, the NAACP and in 2019, the state of Connecticut. As a volunteer she works at the Agape Food Pantry and has accompanied choirs in Bridgeport, Ansonia and Danbury, where she directed WCSU’s Gospel Choir for four years. She was featured in the book Notable Valley African Americans and is quoted as saying, “Do not let your image be designed by your inactivity.”
