President Obama this week named four Vermont teachers recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). The award is the nation’s highest honor for U.S. mathematics and science teachers for grades K-12. The awards program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House.
Laura Botte-Fretz, a mathematics teacher at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, and Lisa Marks, a science teacher at Ludlow Elementary School, received awards in the grades K-6 cohort.
Katherine McCann, a mathematics teacher at U-32 Middle High School, and Mary Louise McLaughlin, a science teacher at Barre Town Middle and Elementary School, were awarded in the grades 7-12 cohort.
“These Vermont science educators have demonstrated exemplary accomplishments in their content learning, pedagogy, ongoing self-improvement, and leadership,” said Gail Hall, a science specialist at the Vermont Agency of Education. “We congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.” A total of 213 educators were awarded from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories and the Department of Defense Education Activity Schools. The winners will receive their awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on September 8, 2016. Social media users can follow along using the hashtag #PAEMST. PAEMST awardees have been shown to devote significant time to professional development, incorporate innovative approaches into their classroom teaching, and be more likely to use computers and other technologies in their classrooms. Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators following an initial preliminary selection process at the state level.
Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion, and are invited to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony, as well as educational and celebratory events, and visits with members of the Obama Administration.