🕯️ The Nick Macol Legacy Award for Excellence in Education & Human Dignity

(Presented Posthumously by The Lighthouse Project)

The Nick Macol Legacy Award is established to honor the extraordinary life, service, and enduring impact of Nick Macol (M-A-C-O-L), longtime principal of University School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and a man whose life embodied what it truly means to be an educator, mentor, and human being.

This award is not simply about teaching—it is about seeing people.

Nick Macol was more than a principal. He was a presence. He knew every student by name. He knew every teacher. When you passed him in the hallway, he didn’t walk by—he stopped, greeted you, listened to you, and made you feel like you mattered. In an era when many adults were too busy or too distant, he made time.

At University School, Nick Macol served students from every walk of life. Some came from broken homes. Some had no parents at all. Some struggled with learning disabilities, emotional challenges, or circumstances no child should have to face. And yet, to Nick Macol, every child mattered equally.

He did not define students by their background, their struggles, or their limitations. He defined them by their humanity.

Growing up in the 1990s, when many students were overlooked or written off, Nick Macol listened. When others dismissed, he engaged. When systems failed, he stood in the gap. His intelligence was undeniable—but it was his heart, his patience, and his unwavering belief in young people that made him exceptional.

He lived a long life devoted to service, and long after students left University School, his impact followed them. He was the kind of educator whose influence did not end at graduation—it stayed with you for life.

🌟 Purpose of the Award

The Nick Macol Legacy Award exists to recognize educators, mentors, administrators, and leaders who reflect the same values Nick Macol lived by:

  • Excellence in teaching and leadership

  • A deep commitment to listening

  • Advocacy for students who are often unseen or unheard

  • Compassion for children from broken or unstable homes

  • Dedication to students with learning challenges or disabilities

  • A belief that every person has worth

In a world where young people are increasingly told to idolize celebrities, billionaires, and figures who are far removed from everyday life, this award intentionally redirects attention to those who truly shape lives—the teachers and mentors who show up, day after day, with integrity and heart.

Children today do not need distant idols.
They need role models with substance.
They need people who listen.
They need people like Nick Macol.

🕊️ In Memoriam

This award also serves as a permanent memorial—a sacred place of remembrance for Nick Macol and for future honorees who share his spirit. It stands as a reminder that while lives may pass, legacy does not.

Through this award, Nick Macol’s life continues to speak.

🔦 The Lighthouse Project Commitment

By establishing this award, The Lighthouse Project affirms its mission to elevate those who live lives of quiet excellence—people who choose service over spotlight, character over celebrity, and purpose over personal gain.

The Nick Macol Legacy Award will be presented to those who carry forward the belief that every child matters—because that belief changes lives.