Tag Archives: STEM teachers

Washington teacher Renae Skar named finalist for prestigious PAEMST award

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Elementary school teacher Renae Skar of Washington state has been named a state finalist for a prestigious 2024 PAEMST award. Photo Credit: The Reflector

It is always my pleasure to recognize outstanding teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the profession. Today I shine a spotlight on Renae Scar, an elementary teacher from Washington. She has been named a state finalist for a prestigious 2024 PAEMST (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching).

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.

Renae Skar teaches fourth grade at Hockinson Heights Elementary School (HHES) in Hockinson, She has taught there for seven years. In a career that spans a total of 19 years, she has taught every grade level from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Renae is a huge proponent of project-based learning. In fact, she says all of her science units begin with a real-world problem or project. “My students love anything hands-on, but if I had to choose one concept that has a lasting and meaningful impact on students, it’s our salmon unit,” Renae declares. “Students love learning about and raising salmon. We learn about salmon throughout the year, which culminates in releasing the salmon we raise into their natural habitat,” she continues. “Having such a meaningful, real-world experience is memorable and demonstrates how actions can make a difference,” she concludes.

Every teacher can support students in science learning, Renae says. “Look for science in the everyday world,” she advises. “Science is all around us and does not require a laboratory or a doctorate to become accessible,” she believes. “Ask children why they think something is the way it is, then listen and explore their ideas. Science is all about curiosity, which all students have an innate sense of already,” she declares.

Renae Skar: A true Chalkboard Champion.

TN teacher Emily McDonald garners Excellence in STEM Teaching Award

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Congratulations to high school STEM teacher Emily McDonald of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She has garnered an Excellence in STEM Teaching Award. Photo Credit: Emily Ann McDonald

Congratulations are due to high school STEM teacher Emily McDonald from Chattanooga, Tennessee. She has garnered an Excellence in STEM Teaching Award.

The Excellence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Teaching Award acknowledges a teacher who embodies STEM-integrated teaching strategies, classroom innovation, and whose efforts have resulted in positive student learning outcomes.

Emily teaches mathematics at University High School in the Hamilton County School District. University High is part of a unique partnership between the school district and the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (UTC). In fact, the high school is located right on the university campus. The school serves students at no cost. The cost of the program is supported financially through grants and shared resources. Emily has taught at the school for nine years. Throughout her career, Emily has taught courses in Algebra, Geometry, Statistics, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Honors Calculus, and ACT Prep.

This innovative educator has a reputation for engaging her students by presenting them with real-world scenarios and relevant problems, while at the same time nurturing their independence. “In my classroom, I strive to foster a culture where students understand the application of mathematics in their everyday lives,” she declares. In developing her curriculum, she allows for diverse perspectives and interests, and she values choice. She strives to empower her students with problem-solving skills that set them up for success in their future educational and career choices. Furthermore, by emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of STEM fields, she illustrates how mathematics connects to technology and practical applications.

Emily earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 2014 and her Master’s degree in Curriculum Instruction in 2015, both from Tennessee Technical University. She earned her PhD in STEM Education with a concentration in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2015. She is also a Google Certified Trainer.

Michigan STEM teacher Colleen Cain conducts experiments in zero gravity

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Middle school STEM teacher Colleen Cain from Troy Michigan, got an opportunity to test classroom experiments during a zero gravity flight. Photo credit: The Oakland Press

It is always exciting when an educator gets an opportunity to enjoy a unique experience that sharpens her teaching skills. Colleen Cain, a middle school STEM teacher from Michigan, was given such an opportunity last March. She travelled to Fort Lauderdale to test classroom experiments during a zero gravity flight.

Colleen experienced 11 minutes of weightlessness during a series of maneuvers aboard a specially-modified Boeing 727 aircraft. The flight, which has been compared to riding a roller coaster up and down steep hills, allows teachers and researchers to float freely at the top of each maneuver. Over the course of 30 maneuvers during one flight, Colleen conducted several experiments that her students had been working on for over a year.

The outstanding teacher was offered the opportunity when she attended a conference at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, during the summer of 2022. There she met educators involved in the Embedded Teacher Program,  a partnership between the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, the National Space Society, and Space for Teachers.

The most difficult part of the experience, says Colleen, was designing experiments that could be performed in short time periods, since the window of time in which the participants were weightless was so brief. “It was a challenge because you had to design an experiment in micro-gravity you had to do in 20-second bursts,” Colleen examined. “Your first instinct is to start swimming, but they warn you not to, since you have nothing to push off on or stabilize yourself.” In the future, Colleen says, her experience will impact how she teaches her students. “t was so incredible,” she remarked. “It’s such a unique experience that I get to share with my students.”

Colleen teaches science to seventh graders at Larson Middle School in Troy, Michigan. Her career as an educator spans 19 years, nine of them at Larson. She is a National Geographic Certified Teacher.

Texas STEM teacher Krystle Moos named TAS 2024 Outstanding Science Educator

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Texas science teacher Krystle Moos has been named the 2024 Outstanding Texas Educator by the Texas Academy of Science. Photo Credit: Texas Academy of Science

There are many outstanding educators working in public schools in Texas. One of them is Krystle Moos, a science teacher in Waco. She has been named the 2024 Outstanding Texas Educator by the Texas Academy of Science (TAS).

Krystle teaches at Midway Highway School. There she teaches courses in Chemistry Advanced Placement Chemistry. She has also served as the University Interscholastic League Science Coach for the past five years, with students who have gone on to the state level in each of the past two years. Her career as a secondary level science educator spans 17 years.

The daughter of a science educator, Krystle possesses a passion for uncovering science in the world around her. She brings this passion into the classroom through hands-on lab experiments and lessons while building students’ confidence in working through complex concepts. In addition, Krystle mentors student teachers through the Professional Development School partnership with Baylor University. Additionally, she is a teacher leader for a free professional development program offered to AP Chemistry teachers called APTeach. The program helps to showcase strategies to improve student learning.

Her recognition by TAS is not the only honor that Krystle has received. She has been named the Texas Region 12 Teacher of the Year; the Midway Independent School District Teacher of the Year; and Associated Chemistry Teacher of Texas 2022 Guest Speaker. In October 2023, Krystle was selected as a Texas state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Krystle earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York in 2007. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Baylor University in 2023. Additionally, she is a National Board Certified Teacher.

 

Teacher Art Kimora has been designated a Living Treasure of Hawaii

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Science educator Art Kimura has been named a Living Treasure of Hawaii for his work in the classroom. Photo Credit: PAEMST

I always enjoy sharing the story of an outstanding educator who has worked with young people in our public schools. One of them is high school science teacher Arthur Kimora. He has been designated a Living Treasures of Hawaii for his work in the classroom.

Arthur, who prefers to be called Art, worked as  an educator for 48 years. He spent twelve years as a biology teacher, nine years as an aerospace teacher, five years as a school administrator, and 22 years as an education specialist with the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, University of Hawaii.

Furthermore, Art is a US veteran. He served on active duty for five years in the US Air Force and then 23 years in the Hawaii Air Guard, retiring as a Lt. Colonel.

As for honors and recognition, Art garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) in 1983; the Phi Beta Kappa; the Biology Teacher of the Year Award; the Civil Air Patrol Crown Circle Award; the Air Force Association Christa McAuliffe Award; and the Living Treasures of Hawaii designation.

Art says that engaging students includes the use of demonstrations, hands on inquiry-based laboratory activities, project-based learning, using a real-world context with a culminating demonstration or challenge, and using community resources and experiences, including global connections and collaboration.

“Consistently, I seek opportunities offered by the community,” says Arthur. For him, examples of this include being the first class to sail on an oceanographic research vessel, serving on the zoo’s education board, and camping and touring at night in the zoo. He has also organized trips to the science center, planned space conferences and our own planetary themed summer camps, and organized experimentation in the field and lab activities.

Art earned his Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and his Master’s degree in Science Education, both from the University of Hawaii.

Arthur Kimura: a true Chalkboard Champion.