Did You Nominate This Teacher?

On January 6, 2010, President Obama met the small group of teachers who were awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. These teachers were K-6 teachers recognized first at the state level and later at the national level based on an extensive application process evaluated by prominent mathematicians, scientists, mathematics/science educators, and past awardees. They were selected as those teachers who provide a high quality math and science experience for their students.

This teaching award began in 1983 when the US Congress created the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. Each year, the president is authorized to provide as many as 108 teaching awards to eligible candidates for the highest national recognition for science and math teachers.


These K-6 teachers, pictured with President Barack Obama received the latest PAEMST Awards. Following that is a list of their names and the locations where they teach.

President Barack Obama poses with Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching winners in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 6, 2010.

Credit: Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

2008 PAEMST Awardee Cohort
Vickie Ahlstrom (Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Charles Bertsch (Polson, Mont.)
Mary Black (Dubuque, Iowa)
Georgia Boatman (Kennewick, Wash.)
Michele Brees (Burien, Wash.)
Stacie Broden (Waterbury, Conn.)
Sharon Brown (Severna Park, Md.)
James Brown (Stillwater, N.Y.)
Jane Callery (Ashford, Conn.)
Susan Carter (Saint Charles, Mo.)
Cary Cermak Rudolf (Roseburg, Ore.)
Melissa Collins (Memphis, Tenn.)
Kathleen Conroy (Charlotte, N.C.)
Zan Coonce (Reno, Nev.)
JoAnne Deshon (Newark, Del.)
Jeri Doane (Edmond, Okla.)
Kari Dresow (Sedalia, Ky.)
Keri Dowdy (Kimball, Minn.)
Christa Duthie Fox (Essex Junction, Vt.)
Candy Ellard (Austin, Texas)
Amy Ellis (Starkville, Miss.)
Gay Erb (Boise, Idaho)
Kathryn Eyolfson (Aurora, Colo.)
Diana Fesmire (Alamogordo, N.M.)
Erin Flynn (East Walpole, Mass.)
Karen Fredricks (Newark, Del.)
Christi Fricks (Pendleton, S.C.)
Sharon Hall (Maineville, Ohio)
Lana Hansen (Littleton, Colo.)
Angela Hansen Cook (Fargo, N.D.)
Michelle Harris (Anita, Iowa)
Sherry Helus (Wamego, Kan.)
Kathleen Hill (Kalispell, Mont.)
Rebecca Holden (Harrison, Tenn.)
Laura Hulsebus (Chugiak, Alaska)
David Ireland (Hermosa, S.D.)
Dana Islas (Tucson, Ariz.)
Haley James (Madison, Ala.)
Kristen Jarboe (Frankfort, Ky.)
Linda Kehr (Klamath Falls, Ore.)
Sandra Kelish (Stafford, Va.)
Barbara Kelley (Grapevine, Texas)
Rebecca Kitts (Pierre, S.D.)
Amy Knerr (Carmel, Ind.)
Susan Kunze (Bishop, Calif.)
Anne Magaha (Hatboro, Pa.)
Mary Meggett (Charleston, S.C.)
Teresa Minogue (Webster, N.H.)
Patricia Morgan (Norman, Okla.)
Kimberly Mueller (Cinnaminson, N.J.)
Susan Naylor (Parkersburg, W.Va.)
Karen Nesbit (Franklin, Wis.)
Cathleen Newton (West Hartford, Vt.)
Jennifer Norford (Charlotte Amalie, V.I.)
Monica Norwood (Little Rock, Ark.)
Suzanne O'Brien (Washington Township, Mich.)
Halley Page (Athens, Ga.)
Sally Pellegrin (Avon Lake, Ohio)
Carrie Persing (Chester, Va.)
Jon Phillips (Grand Blanc, Mich.)
Suzanne Pilon (Hilton, N.Y.)
Sara Rebecca Pittard (Ormond Beach, Fla.)
Susan Poage (Berkeley Heights, N.J.)
Kendra Pullen (Shreveport, La.)
Amy Radden (Casper, Wyo.)
Charles Reynes (Castro Valley, Calif.)
Debra Reynolds (Denham Springs, La.)
Kamilla Riek (Saint Louis, Mo.)
Jennifer Rising (Lake Forest, Ill.)
Natalie Robinson (Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Patia Rountree (Statesboro, Ga.)
Regina Scott (Greenwood, Ind.)
Deborah Seaver (Milford, Mass.)
Wendy Shelden (Cocoa, Fla.)
Cheryl Silcox (Anchorage, Alaska)
Jeanette Simmons (Pontotoc, Miss.)
Kimberly Spencer (Yarmouth, Maine)
Barbara Stoflet (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Melinda Storey (Birmingham, Ala.)
DeAnn Swofford (Olathe, Kan.)
Liane Tanigawa (Waipahu, Hawaii)
Pamela Thompson (Industry, Maine)
Loreen Whalen McMains (Herman, Neb.)
Nola Wilkinson (Decatur, Ill.)
Carol Wooten (Cary, N.C.)
Seanyelle Yagi (Kailua, Hawaii)

Vision of Innovation

Photo by Alex // Berlin (away for 3days)
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Encouraging students to use their youthful strength, the plasticity of their brain function to create or innovate is the passion of Toshiba in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association. To fulfill their passion, they created the ExploraVision Award.

When NSTA and Toshiba think of creativity and innovation, they refer to innovation in future technology, and that includes all areas of life. From previous discussions, you may think about Who is a Science Teacher? Students can pursue creative thinking through purposeful, structured means, such as lateral thinking, or they may have a unique idea, a brainstorm, that could change how some common object is used. Their creative thinking may be more unstructured and it could create a totally new process or product. Either way, students can be encouraged to explain and share their ideas for an opportunity to earn scholarships for themselves and technology for their school.

Encourage teachers to help students participate in Toshiba/NSTA's ExploraVision opportunity. Whether they win an ExploraVision award or not, they will learn to collaborate, explain and enjoy the process of creative thinking. Can you help?