District News
|
See Student Life for more |
Share - Spanish - Site Map - Contact |
Sign up for our Electronic Newsletter Union Student Safety HelpLine |
Union teacher wins Presidential Award
Originally posted June 18, 2012
Union teacher wins Presidential Award for Excellence in Science
Union High School science teacher Becky Morales has won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science for the state of Oklahoma. She was recognized along with 96 other teachers across the nation by President Obama. The educators will receive their awards in Washington, D.C., later this month.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded annually to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching seventh through 12th grades. The 2011 awardees teach 7th through 12th grades.
Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They also are invited to Washington, DC, for an awards ceremony and several days of educational and celebratory events, including visits with members of Congress and the Administration.
President Obama has committed to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and prepare 100,000 effective science and mathematics teachers over the next decade. These commitments build on the President’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, which has attracted more than $700 million in donations and in-kind support from corporations, philanthropies, service organizations, and others to help bolster science and technology education in the classroom.
“America’s success in the 21st century depends on our ability to educate our children, give our workers the skills they need, and embrace technological change. That starts with the men and women in front of our classrooms. These teachers are the best of the best, and they stand as excellent examples of the kind of leadership we need in order to train the next generation of innovators and help this country get ahead,” said President Obama.
Last year, two Union teachers won honors in math and science. Paige Bergin won the Presidential Award for elementary mathematics, and Denise Thomas won for elementary science. Both are teachers at Jarman Elementary School in the Union Public Schools District.
District News Archive