Megan Mullen of Nebraska becomes a finalist for a PAEMST award

Nebraska STEM teacher Megan Mullen has been named one of three finalists in her state for a prestigious PAEMST award (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching). Photo Credit: Megan Mullen

Congratulations go to Megan Mullen, a STEM teacher from Nebraska. She has been selected one of three teachers in her state to be finalists for a prestigious PAEMST award. The PAEMST (Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the nation’s highest honor for K–12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science teachers.

The PAEMST honors the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, inventors, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a visit to the White House and a $10,000 cash prize.

Megan teaches in the Paxton Consolidated School District located in Paxton, Nebraska. There she has led her eighth grade STEM class in their exploration of drone construction and flight with new Drone Maker kits. The students experimented with various arm lengths to determine how that affects flight performance. The honored teacher was able to fund the project with a John Russell Applegate Grant.

Previously, with colleague Jordan Cullers, Megan coached fifth graders on the school’s Science Olympiad team. For this effort, Megan earned an Outstanding Coach award in 2017.

Way to go, Megan!

NYC STEM teacher Karen Heil earns 2024 Big Apple Award

For exemplary work in the classroom, middle school STEM teacher Karen Heil has earned a 2024 Big Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education. Photo Credit: City Island Oyster Reef

The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) does a commendable job of recognizing their most outstanding public school teachers. This year, they have honored nearly 50 classroom educators who work in New York City. One of these is Karen Heil, a middle school science teacher who has been named a recipient of their 2024 Big Apple Award.

Karen’s career as an educator spans 25 years. She currently teaches at P.S. 175 City Island. There she serves as an advisor with City Island Oyster Reef in their Billion Oyster Project. The program is dedicated to restoring oysters to the local waters, not for consumption but for the significant role that oysters play in improving the marine environment. Each adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons a day, which in turn promotes a healthy, resilient marine ecosystem. With Karen’s leadership and the work conducted in her outdoor classroom, her students have helped to nurture a living shoreline.
The indefatigable teacher believes that every public school should create opportunities for its students to connect with the city’s natural environments. “It is important that all of New York City embracetaking more field trips to get out [near the water], even if you can’t do it like we are [at City Island], to at least give kids perspective that it is such an important part of our history,” asserts Karen.
In another project, Karen asked her students to create illustrated comics featuring a particular mineral as a hero. The students then gave each hero  a superpower based on the rock’s unique properties. Then the middle schoolers dressed up as their chosen mineral and created trading cards featuring the rock and its properties. “The kids loved autographing their trading cards and sharing them with each other,” says Karen. In this way, she believes, she was making learning joyful for her students, and instilling confidence in them as independent learners.

Karen earned a Bachelor’s degree Chemistry and another Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 1987, both from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She earned her Master’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching from Mercy University in 2001.

Joel Truesdell of Hawaii inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

High school science teacher Joel Truesdell has been inducted into the 2024 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: NTHF

There are many exceptional educators who have spent their careers working in American schools. One of these is Joel Truesdell, a science teacher from the state of Hawaii. For his work in the classroom, Joel has been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF).

Now retired, Joel’s career as an educator spanned 34 years. He taught chemistry courses at Kamehameha High School, a private school for Native Hawaiians located in Keanu, Hawaii, from 1987 to 2021. There he worked tirelessly to integrate aspects of Native Hawaiian culture into his lessons and labs. He spent the final year of his career at Tuba City Middle School, a Bureau of Indian Education school in the Navajo Nation of Arizona.

In 1991, Joel founded the Hawaiian culture-based Kamehameha Summer Science Institute in Organic Chemistry of Hawaiian Medicinal Plants, (KSSI). In this program, high school students isolated the bioactive components from medicinal plants identified by legendary Hawaiian traditional healer Papa Henry Auwae, who was recognized in 1997 as a Living Treasure of Hawai‘i. In 2012, Joel added a koa reforestation project along with other cultural practices to his 10th grade Chemistry classes.

Joel’s inauguration into the NTHF is not the only recognition Joel has earned. He garnered the National Science Teachers Association’s Shell Science Teaching Award in 2017. He was the winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST) in the state of Hawaii in 2002.

Joel earned both his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and his Master’s degrees in Organic Chemistry, both from the University of Maui. He earned his PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, in 1987.

The NTHF was founded in 1989 by Emporia State University. The program recognizes dedicated and successful educators throughout the United States through an annual induction ceremony. Located on Emporia State University campus in Kansas, the Hall of Fame honors teachers through a gallery of previous honorees, a Wall of Fame, a museum, and resource center that records the history of education through antique textbooks and other artifacts. 

To read more about Joel, click on this link to an article about him published by Kamehameha Schools. To read more about the NTHF, click on this link to their website.

Mandy Vance named Oregon’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

Middle school teacher Mandy Vance of Portland, Oregon, has been recognized as her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: North Central Education Service District

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for her work with young people. One of these is Mandy Vance, a middle school teacher from Portland, Oregon.

Mandy earned her Bachelor’ degree in Social Studies Education from Corban University in Salem, Oregon in 2008. There she earned honors for her leadership and athletic achievements. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2011, also from Corban. She earned her PhD in Education from Concordia University in 2019. There her research centered on the specific needs of students who are also athletes.

After earning her degrees, Mandy inaugurated her career as a professional educator in the Oregon Trail School District. In the District she taught at Boring Middle School for 15 years. Currently, she develops curriculum for courses in sports management, academic success, and creative science at Cedar Ridge Middle School in Sandy, Portland. She also serves on her school’s Site Council Leadership Team, in her local union, and as a mentor teacher. And as if all that were not enough, she also works as an adjunct professor for Eastern Oregon University.

Mandy says she believes her personal educational philosophy is paramount to their success. “I have discovered that what matters most isn’t what I do,” she declares. “It’s not the strategies I use, the standards I teach to, the technology I utilize, or the instructional methods I employ. It’s the quality of my presence, the state of being I bring to my students,” she continues.

The Oregon Teacher of the Year program is administered by the Oregon Department of Education in partnership with the Oregon Lottery. As part of her recognition, Mandy will receive a $10,000 cash award. In addition, $5,000 is also awarded to Oregon Trail School District. She says she plans to use the money to help set up a scholarship fund for students who want to become teachers.

 

Science teacher John M. Lewellen served in the Arkansas State Legislature

Arkansas teacher John Lewellen served his community as a member of the Arkansas State Legislature. Photo Credit: KATV

Many fine educators also make a name for themselves in politics. One of these is John M. Lewellen, a science teacher who also served his community as a public servant and as a member of the Arkansas State Legislature.

John was born in Forest City, St. Francis County, Arkansas, on Sept. 16, 1930. As a youngster, he attended Dansby Elementary School and Lincoln High School in his home town. After his high school graduation, John served a four-year stint in the US Air Force, and is recognized as a Korean War Veteran.

Once he earned his honorable discharge, John enrolled at AM&N, the Agricultural Mining and Normal College located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was the first member of his family to go to college. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture in 1958. Once he earned his degree, John moved to the Altheimer and Hermitage areas, where he accepted a position as a high school teacher. Later he served the school as its principal. “I think his proudest moment was he took five of the outstanding seniors to our alma mater, AM&N, and introduced them to the president and helped them get scholarships,” remembered John’s wife, Wilhelmina Lewellen.

Later, John relocated with his wife and children to Little Rock, Arkansas. There he worked within the state government. He served in positions as a probation officer, a state rehabilitation counselor, and a contractor officer for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. His career there spanned 30 years.

In his later life, John decided to pursue a career in public service. He was elected to the Little Rock City Board in 1991, the Pulaski County Quorum Court in 1996, and the Pulaski County Justice of the Peace for District 6. In 1999, John was elected to the Arkansas State House of Representatives, where he served until 2004. He represented the 34th District on the Democratic ticket. During the six years he served in the State House, John co-founded the Democratic Black Caucus, chaired the Children and Youth subcommittee, and worked for growth of businesses owned by minorities and women.

This former educator passed away from a lengthy illness in Little Rock Nov. 25, 2017. He was 87 years old. His remains were interred at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Alexander, Arkansas.