Tag Archives: STEM teachers

Idaho teacher Anna Attebury garners coveted Milken Educator Award

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Idaho elementary school teacher Anna Attebury has garnered a coveted 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award. Photo Credit: Milken Foundation

I also enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional teacher who has earned recognition for their work with young people. One of these is Anna Attebury, an elementary school teacher from Idaho who has garnered a coveted 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award.

Anna Attebury teaches first graders at White Pine Charter School in Amman, Idaho. The honored teacher ensures her instructional time is engaging and challenging, balancing setting clear expectations with encouraging students to explore concepts and find their own way to solutions. Her approach achieves remarkable results. During the 2021-22 school year, her first graders averaged 127% growth in reading and 111% growth in math.

Well-versed in STEM, this honored teacher leads lessons in human anatomy by building models of different body systems—including the respiratory, circulatory, muscular, and skeletal systems—in layers on life-sized, human-shaped cutouts. In addition to the STEM lessons in her classroom curriculum, Anna also leads an after-school STEM club for students in grades one through five. The club explores coding, works with drones, and uses 3D printers. In fact, in 2020, her STEM club students submitted a drone video to Idaho’s National Laboratory Earth Day competition.

Anna makes significant contributions to her school. She serves as the coordinator for her school’s Core Knowledge curriculum, and she organizes a school wide showcase to share grade level projects, displays, and performances. During the pandemic, she created an online version of the showcase so the entire school community could participate from home. Anna also leads professional development, and she leads White Pine Elementary’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team. She is a member of the leadership team created by the director of schools, and she mentors new teachers.

Anna earned her Bachelor’s degree in English in 2004, and a second Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2012, both from Brigham Young University, Idaho.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 3,000 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more about the program, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Ideas for curriculum and activities for Earth Day observances

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Many teachers know that Earth Day is coming! The occasion will be celebrated on April 22. And 2023 is the 53rd anniversary of the first observance of this popular non-secular holiday. This year’s theme is Invest in Our Planet. These teachers are busy right now researching resources, developing curriculum, and designing activities for their learners.

Young students can, and do, make a big difference in helping to protect the earth’s environment. As an educator, you have the opportunity to spark a passion in students that will drive them to do their part. Here are just a few different kinds of activities you could add to your lesson plans to inspire your students this Earth Day.

Most people associate Earth Day with recycling, and that is a great place to start, especially because it’s an action students can participate in right away. If you want to incorporate activities on recycling in your Earth Day lesson plan, check out these ideas teach your students how to reduce, re-use, and recycle.

Another simple way that teachers can observe Earth Day is to take their students on a nature walk, whether that’s in a local park, on a nearby forest trail, or on school grounds, depending on what’s accessible in the area. Going on a nature walk is not only about celebrating Earth Day, it’s also an opportunity for learning experiences in a variety of subjects such as science, geography, math, and art. Other activities include collecting seeds, or identifying and cataloguing plants, insects, or birds. Older students could establish a garden or composting pile, plant a tree, or raise the money to sponsor tree planting in a national park.

Check out additional suggestions in this Earth Day provided by Education World. Teachers could also explore these suggestions by Project Learning Tree. For secondary students, consider these options suggested by Suburban Science.

Feel free to mention additional ideas or websites for resources in the comments section!

CA’s teacher Khamphet Pease strives to increase access to STEM

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California teacher Khamphet Pease, who earned a coveted PAEMST in 2020, works to increase access to STEM education for under-represented students. Photo Credit: San Diego Union-Tribune

I always enjoy bringing attention to exemplary teachers from all over the United States. Today I would like to share the story of an outstanding elementary school STEM teacher from San Diego, California: Khamphet Pease.

Khamphet earned a 2020 coveted Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This prestigious honor recognizes the dedication, hard work, and important role that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The honor comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

The honor is the fulfillment of the American Dream for her, says Khamphet. “My family and I arrived in the US as Laotian refugees with one dollar in our pockets and the hope that our new country would provide for a better life,” she explains. “Through hard work and the support of many, I have been able to reach the highest levels of my profession as an educator,” she continues. “I hope that my story inspires my students and others to strive towards greatness in their passions,” she concludes.

Khamphet has spent her entire 17-year teaching career at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in San Diego. She instructs STEM courses including Intro to Coding; Gateway to Technology: Design & Modeling; Automation & Robotics; and Computer Science for Innovators & Makers. In her classroom, the honored educator works tirelessly to increase access to STEM education for under-represented students including minority students, girls, and children from lower socioeconomic families. Through her curriculum, she focuses on project-based learning such as developing apps, games, and products that address a variety of local community issues. To extend her classroom curriculum, she founded the Wilson Robotics Club in 2012 where her students participate in robotics competitions like Botball and First Lego League (FLL).

In addition to her PAEMST, Khamphet has earned many accolades. In 2022, she garnered a San Diego Outstanding Educator Award from the Society of Women Engineers. That same year, she was honored by the Computer Science Teachers Association. In 2021, she was named the Outstanding K-12 Engineering Educator by the San Diego County Engineering Council. In 2019, she earned the National Center for Women & Information Technology Educator Award. In 2015, she was named San Diego County Teacher of the Year.

Khamphet earned her Bachelor’s degree in General Biology with a minor in Psychology and her Master’s degree in Curriculum Design and Teaching, both from the University of California, San Diego. In addition, she is certified to teach Gifted and Talented Education. She has a supplementary authorization in Computer Concepts and Applications and a credential in Career Technical Education with an emphasis in Engineering and Architecture.

To read more about Khamphet, see this article published in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

New Jersey STEM teacher Helen Corveleyn earns accolades

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Elementary STEM teacher Helen Corveleyn of Hopewell, New Jersey, has earned many accolades for her innovative environmental projects involving young students. Photo Credit: Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space

I always enjoy sharing stories about innovative STEM educators who have earned recognition for their innovative work with young people, and today’s featured teacher, Helen Corveleyn, is one of the most inspiring.

Helen is a STEM coordinator at Hopewell Elementary School located in Hopewell, New Jersey. She has also taught seventh grade Life Sciences at Montgomery Middle School in Skillman, New Jersey.

This amazing educator is passionate about promoting elementary STEM education. She inaugurated her school’s Green Team, where she leads her young students to become careful stewards of the planet, providing many opportunities for them to practice environmentally safe habits. For example, she introduced a ban on plastic in the school’s cafeteria, and she introduced a hydroponic garden to grow organic produce for the school lunches. In fact, the garden project earned her school a Best in New Jersey Farm to School Award in 2018. In addition, Helen runs the Nature Harmony Project, an initiative which blends STEM and the arts with social and emotional learning in an outdoor education setting.

Helen’s dedication to environmental awareness expands beyond the elementary school. She helped her community inaugurate a townwide Earth Week to promote environmental justice issues. She serves as a Board Trustee of both the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and the Hunterdon Somerset Mercer County STEM Ecosystem. And, as if all that were not enough, she has taught Environmental Leadership to graduate students at The College of New Jersey and Conservation Biology to adult students at Miami University of Ohio.

For her work as an educator, Helen has earned many accolades. She was honored as the I can STEM NJ Role Model by the New Jersey STEM Pathways Network in 2021. She earned a coveted PAEMST (Presidential Award for Education in Mathematics and Science Teaching) in 2020, and that same year she was named New Jersey County Teacher of the Year. In 2019, she garnered a Governor’s Educator of the Year.

Helen’s career as an educator spans 13 years. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy from Marist College. She earned her Master’s degree, summa cum laude, in Conservation Biology from Miami University of Ohio. She completed international field work with Project Dragonfly, which included studying island bio-geography and whale sharks in Baja, Mexico. She also studied orangutans and sustainable palm oil in Borneo, Malaysia. Finally, she created a multimedia-based conservation campaign to support the Belize Zoo and Maya Forest Corridor.

You can read more about this amazing educator at centraljersey.com.

Carolyn Kielma named Connecticut’s 2023 Teacher of the Year

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Science teacher Carolyn Kielma has been selected Connecticut’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, and she. has been named one of five finalists for National Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: University of New Haven

I always enjoy casting a spotlight on outstanding educators who have been recognized for their work in the classroom. Today we celebrate Carolyn Kielma, a science teacher from Bristol, Connecticut. She has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, and she has also been named one of five finalists for National Teacher of the Year.

Carolyn inaugurated her career as a science educator at West Haven High School, where she taught for five years. She currently teaches at Bristol Eastern High School, where she has worked for the past 15 years. She teaches courses in biology, anatomy and physiology, environmental science, and biotechnology and technology. She is also the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) coordinator on her campus. In this role, the honored educator works hard to close the achievement gap by providing opportunities that prepare all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

In addition to these professional responsibilities, Carolyn coordinates STEMonday, a monthly science, technology, engineering and mathematics challenge which connects and builds relationships between elementary and high school students. Furthermore, in 2020 Carolyn garnered a grant from Fund for Teachers to study wolves, bears, and elk at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center and in Yellowstone National Park. Then she prepares virtual lessons to share what she has learned with her urban students. And as if all this were not enough, she provides professional development for fellow educators in her district, and she travels nationwide to train teachers in engagement strategies that promote equity and inclusion.

Carolyn says she has always known she would become a teacher. “This was the career I was born to do,” she declares. “I love to be able to help young people realize their worth, discover their strengths and weaknesses, and become better humans,” she continues. “What is most meaningful to me is the connections I am able to make with my students that reach far beyond the classroom walls. I get to help make better humans who can contribute in a positive way to our society. I get to see them grow and develop throughout their high school career and long after,” she concludes.

Carolyn earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania in 1998. She earned her Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of New Haven in Connecticut in 2002.

To read more about Carolyn Kielma, see this article about her published by the University of New Haven.