Author: Delaware STEM Council

The 9th Annual Delaware STEM Educator Awards ceremony was hosted live at Buena Vista Country Estate in New Castle, Delaware on November 9th, 2023. Throughout the evening, six awards with accompanying unrestricted cash prizes of up to $7,500 were presented to individuals and teams of educators, from across the elementary through high school levels, for their accomplishments in STEM education.

The event was made possible by keynote sponsors Ashland and DuPont, as well as sponsors Agilent, LabWare, Mountaire Farms, and Walmart. The STEM Educator Awards are also an ongoing partnership between the Delaware STEM Council and the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME).

Delaware’s elected representatives made appearances virtually to express gratitude and encouragement for the ongoing STEM Council and DFSME mission of celebrating and recognizing excellence in STEM education throughout the state.

Among them was Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Mark Holodick, who extended the support of the Delaware Department of Education.

“Tonight is about not just celebrating the work of our STEM educators, but also sharing their stories,” Dr. Holodick said. “Too often the great things happening in our schools don’t get the recognition they deserve. So, to our celebrated educators I say, our community needs to hear your stories.”

Governor John Carney also returned this year to greet ceremony attendees.

“As your governor, promoting innovation in Delaware is a top priority,” Carney said. “That starts with giving our students access to quality STEM education, provided by good teachers like you. Whenever I visit schools throughout Delaware, I’m always impressed by the enthusiasm I see from students in our STEM classrooms. This will have a big impact on the future success of our state.”

Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, corresponding virtually, displayed their support for the evening’s celebrated educators.

“As educators in STEM, you can well appreciate the innovation that must have been happening right where you are sitting, 178 years ago,” Carper said, referencing the prosperous agricultural estate once cultivated on the historic Buena Vista venue. “Perhaps John Clayton knew then what we know now, and that is that emphasizing STEM education in our curriculum is going to better prepare our society, and our planet, for tomorrow.”

“You’re together because you understand that the learners of today are the leaders of tomorrow,” Coons said. “Preparing our youth for a future that includes their active involvement in STEM sectors is no longer just a forward-thinking ‘good idea.’ As we witness the challenges facing humanity around the globe, these are the students who are going to lead us forward.”

Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long, an enduring supporter of the Delaware STEM Council and DFSME mission, was present at Buena Vista to personally congratulate award winners.

“I am a professor, a nurse, a research scientist first, always,” Hall-Long said, describing her own STEM background prior to entering her current political office. “STEM skills prepare us for a lifetime of success. I am very convinced that Delaware is going to be the number one place for folks to locate: The future of our workforce is the application of STEM.”

The presentation of awards began with the Certified Educators Awards. At the elementary school level, Krista Bivins, who has been an educator in the Smyrna School District for over a decade, was awarded first place.

In the middle school category, Sarah Leonard was awarded first place for her work as a 7th and 8th grade mathematics and science educator in the Appoquinimink School District. Second place was awarded to Seaford Middle School mathematics teacher Tommie Polite.

At the high school level, Dr. Sharon L. Burke received first place for her teaching efforts in anatomy, physiology, biology, and AP biology at Caesar Rodney High School

“This next award speaks to the African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,” DFSME board member P.J. Simon said, presenting the Community Educator Award. “The village, or the community, is where the people that are closest to you are: They encourage you, they nurture you, they mentor you, and they prepare our children for the world. Community educators are part of that village.”

The Community Educator Award was presented first to a team of AP Calculus AB and BC teachers from Padua Academy that included Kelly Townsend, Sarah Smith, and Raymond Helie. The second recipient of the award was Todd Klawinksi, in recognizing his work as the Environmental Education Specialist for the Caesar Rodney School District, where he established the Caesar Rodney Center for Green Schools.

DFSME Executive Director Randy Guschl presented the following DFSME 2023 Jon Manon STEAM Award, which spotlights a team that has demonstrated outstanding collaborative efforts. The award went to a large team  of educators across the science and mathematics departments at Padua Academy.

Lisa Blunt Rochester also greeted awardees and attendees later in the evening, praising teachers and connecting their efforts to the greater picture of industry and innovation in the First State.

“Each year I look forward to speaking to this esteemed group of teachers, because you are the leaders who are making the difference in the lives of our young people,” Blunt Rochester said. “And as we stand on the brink of a great transformation – between the emergence of artificial intelligence and the development of immersive technology, STEM skills are more important than ever.”

The evening concluded with a showcase of two student-driven programs which continue to take on the mantle of above-and-beyond STEM innovation at the high school level. One such program was The S.P.A.R.K.S. Project, which was founded by Charter School of Wilmington senior Sahaana Rajagopalan. The S.P.A.R.K.S. Project, which stands for Students Providing Awareness & Reach of Knowledge, is an organization that works to bridge the STEM education divide within the K-5 population.

Delaware STEM Council Executive Director Daniel Suchenski introduced Rajagopalan, who was present at Buena Vista to share more about her work in K-5 STEM education and advocacy.“For me, personally, STEM isn’t just about science; it’s an interactive world with limitless possibilities, and I hope to continue to share that excitement with every child possible in an interactive manner,” Rajagopalan said. “Instilling this passion and developing deep bonds with the children I work with has been super gratifying. I’m incredibly proud just watching their enthusiasm over simple concepts grow into a deep love for STEM and something they want to share with everyone.”

The ceremony also recognized a team of Brandywine High School students that recently took home first place in the 2023 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, an honor that was accompanied by a top cash prize of $100,000. The team, composed of Arun Krishnamurthy, Anand John, Thomas Baer, Noah Fake and Gabe Pust, developed a low-cost alternative to an interface box that allows people with disabilities to more easily operate household appliances.

For further information and updates on upcoming events, or to learn more about the Delaware STEM Educator Awards, please visit the official Delaware STEM Council website. STEM educators can expect the application process for the 10th Annual STEM Educator Awards to  open soon.

Jan Castro is a writer, communications specialist, and University of Delaware alum who has been a proud student of Delaware educators.

Jaime Swartz at the John M Clayton Elementary School showing off her award for STEM educators from the 2022 8th running of the awards July 2023

Jaime Swartz placed 1st in 2022 at the 8th running of the Delaware STEM Educator Awards in the certified elementary school category from John M. Clayton Elementary School. Swartz currently works with 500 students in K-5th grades in Sussex County. A VEX IQ & Project Lead The Way – Launch Lead Certified Educator, Swartz’s lesson plans involve creative hands-on projects that integrate key STEM topics into opportunities for all ages and backgrounds. Swartz’s passion for STEM knows no bounds and while she hasn’t spent the award winnings yet, she hopes to use them to expand STEM offerings to more of her students and possibly go back to school.

What challenges and opportunities do you see in teaching STEM and specifically Project Lead The Way (PLTW) related coursework in Delaware?

There’s a lot of opportunities because there’s a lot of great things that the kids are interested in. STEM allows them to see a lot of things beyond just a rural area. One of the things our school did this year was our equity clubs. Once a month the kids would sign up to go to a club and we would use the last 45 minutes of the day and the activities could be anything from cornhole to spa club. I did a STEM club and we made ice cream one day in the classroom. The next time we learned about how fireworks were made and we made our own fireworks with vinegar and baking soda and glitter. So, it looked like exploding fireworks but it’s a learning experience. Another time we made little model cars and we talked about drag racing, race cars and Nascar and so that was really cool to be able to do. So, all those types of opportunities are great. There are so many students in this classroom that are amazing, and yet, they struggle with reading and math when they go back to their classrooms. The STEM classroom sparks their interest and they don’t realize we’re doing math when we’re measuring the distance or we’re finding the median distance to decide which one of our designs worked the best, because it’s not the typical classroom setting. We have a mixture of students, including from our autism program, those with severe disabilities students and other diverse backgrounds. For example, one little boy, when we talked about the phases of the moon and he had to track the phases for a month. He would come in every day and say, ‘we looked at the moon last night and here’s what the phase was’. It was wonderful because it just really stuck with him. And yet, he is in our severe disabilities program. This class really allows some students a way of learning things that they may not be getting in the traditional classroom. Back to your question about challenges, time I think, would probably be my biggest challenge. I just wish I had more time with them.

How does agriculture or Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics (STEAM) play into your lessons? There’s a lot of STEM that goes on in agriculture in Delaware.

One of the things that we started last year was our Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids initiative. It’s a program throughout the state where we grow things with the kids and teach them about the growing process. I teach our second graders about the growing process and pollination and careers in that area in the classroom. But I feel like I could do more with that. For example, they see the crops around here and most of them don’t know what they are, so I talk about how corn was planted this year. Next year, it’s going to be beans because of crop rotation, why crop rotation is important and the soil science behind it are generally really interesting to students. I think part of the interest is that I don’t think the kids think about these things, even though they see them all the time, because they’re not paying attention to it when they’re getting driven in the car. I think this speaks to challenges and the time crunch we spoke of. Another example is all the Chicken processing plants where a lot of our parents work because that’s one of the biggest industries around here. There are a lot of engineers that run the plant and maybe we can take a look at how the machinery works. They love to watch educational videos, like how things are made and pretty much anything with machinery and moving parts.

What are some of the creative lessons you used in 2022 to introduce and include students with diverse backgrounds or who have learning needs that must be met in different ways?

All of the lessons are hands-on. So, all of the kids are involved no matter what disability or challenge they may have. We have a lot of writing pieces like for example our engineering design process. We write about how well the process worked? These are usually group projects. So, the students in the group that are a little stronger in that area will do the writing versus others, but I do require each student in the group to share their experiences and insights even if they aren’t able to physically write it themselves or they might not know how to write it because they can’t spell and write in sentences yet, but they can tell a lot of what they’re doing verbally, or pointing or showing. One of my students who is non-verbal with selective mutism, he doesn’t want to talk in the classroom, but if I ask him, ‘hey, what part of this did you like the best?’ He would point to and visually show that when we did our egg designs, he liked the fact that they had built something to go over top of the car because when the car went down, the ramp, it fell over and if they hadn’t had something on the top, the egg would have fallen out and broken. So, there’s lots of ways for them to tell what they’re doing despite those disabilities. And the kids are really great. But a lot of the STEM work doesn’t have to be super modified for them because it is a lot of hands-on work already. It’s hard to find substitutes that are as effective for students as involved learning and things like videos. For example, when we were talking about pollination, the pollen actually sticks to the bee when it goes from plant to plant. And I always want to ask the questions to the students, but ‘how does that work?’ Visuals are just great for answering that question. With short videos or interactive models they can actually see the process of what’s happening. Seeing the bee with the pollen stuck on it. It’s like the coolest thing they’ve ever seen, you know, because they don’t ever get up to bees either, usually running away from them.

What recommendations do you have for other educators? Either looking to teach STEM in the state or looking to apply to the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

Do it, because it’s the best job. I have so much fun. I will admit that it’s a lot of prep though. But the fact that we get to build these things and test them and learn all these great things. And, you know, when the kids say, “Mrs. Swartz I saw this robot on TV that we talked about in class, you know, Boston Dynamics.” They have another in, they just come and tell you about it because we’ve talked about it in class and they get to see that connection in their eyes. There was this other time when we were at recess and the students saw the bees buzzing around, but because we had talked about them in class, they saw them differently than in the past and now they were telling me things like, “We don’t want to kill the bees, we want to protect them because, you know, they are the pollinators.”

As for the STEM Educator Award, I wouldn’t say applying for the awards was a challenge because it was everything I was already doing in my classroom. I have a hard time selling myself a lot of times on paper, like that’s probably my biggest challenge with applying. One thing that made applying easier was that I had just finished getting my national board certification. Through that process I had some of the videos that I used from the classroom already ready to go.

What was your experience winning the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

Amazing! It was a shock actually. You apply for it and you hope, you know,” but you never really expect to win. My mom enjoyed coming to see me win too. She tells everybody, she will be out getting her nails done at the salon and she’s telling the ladies, “my daughter just won an award for teaching, you know.” My students in the classroom after the awards asked me about the giant check that was presented to me at the awards because I have it here in the classroom.

What did you end up doing with the funds from winning the Award?

So, I have it on, hold right, this second. I just finished my national board certification which has occupied all of my time of late. But my plan is to go back to school and get a certificate. There is a program for a certificate in STEM education specifically that has caught my eye. In my mind I am thinking, “what can I do to help me teach the kids better”? The other part of the funds I want to use on those fun STEM clubs we talked about. There are never enough funds for the clubs and that is an easy way to impact the lives of my students. Every year I get about $150 dollars to buy materials to teach 500 kids for the year. That’s why we do fundraisers and things because you can’t do all the fun things on $150, for 500 kids, so a lot of what I do comes out of pocket. The funds will help with that too because fun stuff needs supplies.

What’s next for you and what’s next for STEM at Clayton Elementary.

We’re going to keep right on truckin. I want to grow our STEM clubs. I want to make it more in-depth to spark the kids’ attention into the STEM fields. Our technology teacher also teaches one of the PLTW units to help with the technology piece of it, he does a lot of the coding, I do coding as well, so we build on that with each other” but I would like to do even more.

I look forward to more experiential learning environments for the students moving forward. They’re going to remember the experiences so I was thinking about outreach programs that could come here. We have the Barn Hill Preserve down here, in Sussex County. They came in springtime with animals and the kids were just mesmerized because some of them don’t see animals except for what’s on TV. They don’t go to the zoo. Additionally, I think we are getting the hoverboard project to come in the Fall so I am looking forward to being able to teach about that ahead of time for them to come because the kids are going to absolutely love that. They actually build a hoverboard that they can ride on. They learn the science and the STEM behind why this works and how something as simple as a leaf blower can be a propulsion system.

The Hall of Fame wall for recent awards and accomplishments for all-star STEM educator Jaime Swartz in her classroom in Sussex.

What role does educational or instructional tech play in the classroom in the future for you?

A lot. Our kids right now are one to one (1:1) on Chromebooks. I wouldn’t say all of our stuff is on the Chromebook, but there’s a lot of things we have better access to now when they come to STEM class. I can use their Chromebooks when we’re researching, or when they are running simulations like potential kinetic energy. There is a little skateboarder guy on a ramp so they can understand different amounts of energy usages at different heights. I have iPads that we got when we started the program and we use the coding app part of our PLTW program as well as like when my fifth graders would the robotics unit they do. The first half of the school year they build the robot, the second half, they code it to do what it needs to do.

John M. Clayton Elementary School: Part of the Indian River School District, the John M Clayton Elementary School, located at 252 Clayton Ave. Frankford Delaware 19945

Delaware STEM Council: Delaware STEM was created to evaluate the state of STEM education in our schools and recommend ways to improve it.  Our goals are to:

• Expand the number of Delaware students who ultimately pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields and broaden the participation of women and minorities in these fields.
• Expand the STEM capable workforce to create, grow and attract STEM related businesses to Delaware.
• Increase STEM literacy for all Delaware students including those who pursue non-STEM related careers, but need STEM skills.

The 8th Annual Delaware STEM Educator Award Winners Ceremony:

“STEM Permeates Everything!”

By Jan Castro

The 8th Annual Delaware STEM Educator Awards ceremony was held in a hybrid format and hosted
live at Buena Vista Country Estate in New Castle, Delaware on November 17th, 2022. Throughout the evening, six awards with accompanying cash prizes were presented to individuals and teams of educators, from across the elementary through high school levels, for their unmatched accomplishments in STEM education.

The awards celebration was made possible by the evening’s keynote sponsors Ashland and DuPont,
as well as sponsors Agilent and LabWare. The STEM Educator Awards also represents an ongoing partnership between the Delaware STEM Council and the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME).

Delaware STEM Council Executive Director Daniel Suchenski began by introducing Jon Wickert, the Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and STEM Initiatives at the Delaware Department of Education, who provided opening remarks which thoughtfully framed the evening as part of a bigger picture of the universality of STEM and the power of human curiosity as a driver of progress.

See video clip here: https://youtu.be/aL9pY9cYJfo

“We often overlook how STEM permeates every aspect of our life. STEM is more
than a set of academic and technical skills, it’s a way of sensing and experiencing
the world around us, and it involves curiosity, inquiry, problem solving, risk taking,
and, I think most importantly, wonder. Wonder permeates STEM
when we allow it to, and when we put it at the front.”

Throughout the evening, many of Delaware’s foremost elected representatives made appearances virtually to voice their enduring support for the STEM Council and DFSME’s mission, and to draw attention to the profound achievements and tireless work of the teachers being recognized.

“We know that the success of our students depends on having great teachers, so it’s critical to have teachers that inspire their students to dream big,” Governor John Carney said. “I want to congratulate all the award winners tonight. Thank you for all you do to keep Delaware on the cutting edge of innovation.”

Delaware Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons also revisited this year’s ceremony in virtual fashion with messages of encouragement and praise for educators’ demonstrated commitment at the elementary, middle, and high school levels which continue to keep Delaware at the helm of STEM leadership.

“We need the next generation of scientists, researchers, engineers and more to help us navigate an increasingly competitive global world,” Carper said. “I’m grateful that you’re helping us in that effort; your efforts are important for our country and for our planet.”

Senator Chris Coons likewise evoked a bright vision for the advancement of STEM and innovation in Delaware, in setting forth an inspiring future of opportunities which STEM educators are actualizing through their work.

“I went on to be a chemistry major in college and to have a career where for eight years I worked for a materials-based science company, and got to see the excitement of STEM in action,” Coons said, drawing from his own pursuits in STEM prior to his political career. “STEM provides purpose, productivity, and a chance to be a part of changing our world in positive ways. And I’m convinced that Delaware is uniquely poised to be a regional, if not national, leader in STEM.”

Later in the evening, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, in emphasizing the invaluable significance of Delaware’s role as a STEM leader, continued to drive home the theme that STEM permeates all aspects of daily life

“A trip to Mars, baking a cake, and writing an artificial intelligence program; what do all of these have in common?” Rochester asked. “STEM. And whether it’s preparing the next generation of STEM leaders, training our current STEM workforce, or giving those young people who wouldn’t pursue STEM [otherwise] the careers and skills that they need to succeed, you are shaping the world and our future.”

The presentation of awards began with the Certified Educators Awards. At the elementary school level, Jaime Swartz of John M. Clayton Elementary School, and one of five Delaware finalists for the 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, was awarded the first place prize for implementing the Project Lead the Way Launch Program.
See video clip here: https://youtu.be/cUoP63RbIkI

Wendy Turner, an educator at Mount Pleasant Elementary School and 2017 Delaware Educator of the Year, received the second place Certified Educator Award for developing a program, in a 5-year partnership with the Delaware Center for Horticulture, which provides a hands-on, outdoor STEM learning experience focused on dendrology, or the study of trees.

See video clip here: https://youtu.be/I-XbfSFnucI

In the Community STEM Educator Award category, three different projects encompassing disparate pursuits in STEM equity, engineering, and robotics received recognition. The award, which recognizes community-focused educators who may not operate in a traditional classroom setting, was presented by former award recipient, Wilmington Urban STEM Initiative founder, and “STEM Queen” Jacqueline Means.

At the elementary school level, the award was given to Girls Tech Together, a STEM education and equity nonprofit founded by sibling duo Divita and Arnav Taduvayi.

See video clip here: https://youtu.be/iQz59P_dpac

Kristen and Milton Melendez received a Community STEM Educator Award at the middle school level for Engineer Early, a nonprofit that provides engaging and interactive STEM experiences through the distribution of hand-crafted and curated  STEM kits.

See video clip here: https://youtu.be/lvC8fCJWV_8

Finally, a dynamic team of educators composed of John Larock, Brandi Mycoff, Joseph Perrotto, Louis Rossi, Brian West, and Richard Schlack represented MOE (Miracle of Engineering) Robotics, a team that competes in regional FIRST Robotics Competitions and that champions a mission of “gracious professionalism” in the areas of competitive STEM. They received the Community STEM Educator Award at the high school level.

See video clip here: https://youtu.be/aGbi4IQSsdA

DFSME’s 2022 Jon Manon STEAM Award was presented by DFSME Executive Director Randy Guschl and was awarded to a six-strong team of educators from the Caesar Rodney School District for Odyssey of the Mind, a creative activity and problem solving nonprofit that participates in tournament competition. Team members include Tara Faircloth, Christine Alois, Carolyn Bush, Kendra Dechenes, Tracy Fennemore, and Jennie McMahon.

See video clip here: https://youtu.be/OO8uijkm6uA

The Jon Manon award uniquely recognizes a team of educators and, in doing so, spotlights the importance of collaborative team efforts in reaching new heights in STEM education that could not be reached alone. The award also carries with it a cash prize for teams to continue to build upon the successes of their programs.

The ceremony concluded with the spotlighting of a COVID-founded startup based in Wilmington leading a path forward for the next generation of STEM leaders, Futures First Gaming (FFG), a Delaware-based tech, media, entertainment, and e-sports organization working with youth to realize a futuristic, equitable, career-focused, and STEM-centric vision.

“Since 2020, we have been fostering e-sports here in Delaware, with the goal of shepherding more youth, especially our Black, brown, and girl gamers, into exploration of technology careers,” FFG CEO and co-founder Stephen Sye said.

In live attendance at Buena Vista was Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long, a close supporter and Honorary Co-Chair of the Delaware STEM Council, who offered closing remarks.

See video clip here: https://youtu.be/se2hJZ0WMFg

“As a professor and as a nurse who gets to live and see the implications
of science translated into health outcomes, and into
our community, our pursuit of STEM education is critical – and it is amazing.
I would not miss being here in person…
I am honored to have this opportunity each and every year.”

For further information and updates on upcoming events, or to learn more about the Delaware STEM Educator Awards, please visit the official Delaware STEM Council website. STEM Educators can expect the application process for the 9th Annual Awards to be open soon.

——-

Jan Castro is a writer, University of Delaware alum, and native Delawarean who has been a proud student of Delaware educators.

STEM educators, advocates, and leaders have once again gathered together to recognize the most innovative and dedicated STEM educators working in The First State today through the Seventh Delaware STEM Educator Awards.

The Delaware STEM Council and the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME) hosted the ceremony in a hybrid format from Buena Vista Country Estate in New Castle, Delaware on November 4, 2021. The special evening was made possible thanks to the event’s signature sponsor, Ashland, as well as sponsors Labware, DuPont, Agilent and DNREC.

The award ceremony’s keynote speaker, Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Susan Bunting, began the ceremony by recounting her own personal involvement in the Educator Awards and expressing the inspiring ways in which the Delaware STEM ecosystem has evolved throughout the years.

“This annual recognition of Delaware’s star STEM educators is a celebration which is near and dear to my heart,” Bunting said. “Each year, the entries have become increasingly impressive, and winner selection has become more and more challenging. I have been fascinated by Delaware educators’ ingenuity, and the variety of creative initiatives that they have submitted for recognition.”

Other elected representatives of Delaware appeared virtually to express support for the mission of Delaware STEM education and educators. Among them was Governor John Carney, who helped kick off the announcement of award winners.

“I’m excited to join you in recognizing the importance of STEM education in Delaware,” Carney said. “You all have an important role by teaching the scientists, innovators, and engineers of tomorrow. On behalf of the entire state of Delaware, thank you for your commitment to STEM education and the success of our students.” Delaware senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons also joined to honor the award applicants and recipients being celebrated that evening.

“I’ve had some firsthand experience with the excitement, the purpose, and the productivity of a life engaged in STEM,” Coons, who has a university background in chemistry, said. “I know there’s a great deal of work still to be done to sustain STEM education and deliver reliable and equitable resources in the process.”

Senator Tom Carper extended praise for Delaware educators who, despite the tremendous ongoing challenges of Covid-19 and virtual learning, have excelled in their fields in acts of resilience and strength.

“This pandemic has forced all of us to get creative in doing our jobs, but none more so than our teachers,” Carper said. “In the Navy, when people do extraordinary work, we say ‘Bravo Zulu.’ To all of you I say ‘Bravo Zulu.’”

Members of the Delaware STEM Council were present to announce live the Certified STEM Educator Award winners across the middle and high school levels. All first place award winners in each category received an unrestricted cash prize of $6,000, a commemorative trophy, and free access to all parks in the Delaware State Park system for one year.

At the middle school level, the first place award was presented to Gail Morris, a computer science and business education teacher at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School, and a 2019-2020 Gauger-Cobbs Middle School Teacher of the Year.

At the high school level, two separate applicants were awarded with a first place prize. Melissa Blair Tracy, a social studies teacher and Model UN and Youth in Government Adviser at Odyssey Charter School, as well as a duo of Delmar Senior High School teachers, Daniel Rice and Peter Burnham, were all honored as first place recipients. Rice is a science teacher and Burnham is a manufacturing and engineering technology teacher.

Middle school award winner Gail Morris offered an emotional reflection of the moment, expressing her immense gratitude and dedicating her win to her late mother, who was also a veteran Christina School District STEM educator.

“I want to say thank you to the Delaware STEM Educator committee members so much for selecting me as the middle school award recipient this evening,” Morris said. “If you couldn’t tell by my reaction, I was completely shocked and caught off guard, ecstatic and overjoyed at the same time!”

DFSME board member and former academic outreach manager for DuPont, P.J. Simon, presented the Community Educator Award.“This award speaks to the heart of the African proverb, that ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’” Simon said. “The village, or community, is where people that are closest to you encourage, mentor, and prepare all of us for the world.”

The Community Educator Award was presented to Jackie Means, the founder of the Wilmington Urban STEM Initiative and a sophomore medical diagnostics major at the University of Delaware, for her initiative to educate elementary school students about 3D printing technology.

The Armbrecht Award for Outstanding STEM Advocacy, an award given in memory of former DFSME Executive Director, Ross Armbrecht, is sponsored by the Armbrecht family together with DFSME. The award recognizes a Delaware educator who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and collaboration between business, education, and community leaders to advance STEM education in the state. This year, the Armbrecht Award was presented to Tonyea Mead, a Science Education Associate at Delaware Department of Education.

The Jon Manon STEAM Team Award was presented by DFSME executive director Randy Guschl. The award is accompanied by a $1,000 cash prize and it uniquely recognizes a team of educators who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in collaborating, coordinating, and executing their programs and projects.

This year’s winning team was comprised of Gene Beitman, Matthew Juck, David Wessell, and Atilano Rodriguez, a group of math and science educators from Middletown High School in the Appoquinimink school district.

With the awards revealed, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester greeted attendees and winners with a message expressing her own sustained efforts to keep STEM education robust in The First State.

“I want all of you to know, as your congresswoman, I have your back when it comes to fighting for the integration of STEM education in our classrooms,” Blunt-Rochester said. “Our future will depend on how we prepare our young people today for success in the world, and that begins with you.”

Joining in person at Buena Vista, Delaware Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long, a long-standing champion of Delaware STEM, concluded the evening with closing thoughts, echoing the support and assurance which her colleagues in office have voiced throughout the evening.

“Each and everyone one of you is making Delaware proud,” Hall-Long said. “We would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for science. And I know, as I’ve talked to Governor Carney, we are well aware of the importance and the value of our teachers.”

As the Council and DFSME look forward to the Eighth Delaware STEM Educator Awards ceremony, slated for fall of 2022, the evening’s ceremony concluded with a reminder to all Delaware educators that the application for the 2022 running is now available online.

For further information and updates on upcoming events, or to learn more about the Delaware STEM Educator Awards, please visit the official Delaware STEM Council website at https://delawarestem.org/stem-council. The application process for the Eighth Annual Awards is now open.

Jan Castro is a writer, University of Delaware alum, and native Delawarean who has been a proud student of Delaware educators.

The STEM and Math Equity Conferences, a series of back-to-back virtual professional development events on empowering all students as thinkers and doers of STEM, were held online on October 9-10, 2020.

The event was sponsored by the Delaware STEM Council, the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME), the Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering (FAME), the Delaware Math Coalition (DMC), and Delaware Technical Community College. Additional sponsors included DuPont, Verizon, LabWare, and Spekciton Biosciences LLC.

The conferences follow the lead of last year’s Fifth Annual Delaware STEM Symposium, which took on a theme of equity and helped to kick off the ongoing initiative to address inequities in Delaware STEM and STEM education.

Additionally, the STEM and Math Equity Conferences represent the culmination of sustained efforts to prioritize a forum for these necessary and meaningful conversations on equity in STEM. This is particularly true in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which postponed original plans to hold these virtual conferences as an in-person gathering this past April. Subsequently, conference organizers and sponsors have demonstrated a resilience and commitment to equity in their unwavering pursuit of this mission.

Jamila Riser is one such agent of change which the equity conferences would not have been possible without. As a veteran Delaware educator and the Executive Director of DMC, Riser has led a state-wide alliance of educational partners and organizations in the pursuit of professional learning experiences that advance teaching and learning practices in mathematics.

At the STEM Equity Conference, Riser was awarded the inaugural Armbrecht Award for Outstanding STEM Advocacy, for her dedication to high quality STEM education for all Delaware students. The award is given in memory of former DFSME Executive Director, Ross Armbrecht.

“It’s been incredibly gratifying to work with the leaders who have come together to support not only today’s work, but who have clearly demonstrated that this is their calling,” Riser said. “During my 34 years as an educator I have never been more convinced that true progress is possible.”

Prominent Delaware state representatives also attended the STEM Equity Conference, including State Secretary of Education Susan Bunting and Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long.

“Equity is an integral component of achieving the STEM mission; more than an initiative and beyond a moral imperative,” Bunting said. “Equity is our internal, external, and our actionable commitment.”

The conference also featured a dialogue, entitled “Accepting Truth: Listen, Reflect, and Connect,” between keynote speakers  Jinni Forcucci of the Delaware Department of Education and Dontez Collins of Cape Henlopen High School. The two award-winning educators’ relationship goes back to Sussex Tech, where they once shared a classroom together as teacher and student.

Forcucci articulated the importance of celebrating identity and differing perspectives. She also advocated for the power of emotional vulnerability as a prerequisite to having the open conversations which are necessary to advance a more equitable educational environment. Collins also shared an honest account of his experiences as a Black educator in STEM, and his journey to overcome discriminatory encounters where his truth was either interrogated or suppressed.

This thoughtful dialogue was followed by a student panel that brought to the forefront student experiences, and championed the importance for educators to elevate and listen to student voices. The panel was moderated by Monique Martin, who guided discussion as students shared stories on racial trauma and discrimination within school environments.

The Math Equity Conference which took place the following day also featured an opening keynote from Dr. Amanda Jansen, a professor of mathematics in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. As the author of Rough Draft Math, Jensen’s keynote reflected on ways to rehumanize the classroom, specifically highlighting the potential to advance equity and student engagement through the adoption of rough draft thinking within mathematics pedagogy.

Both conferences also afforded attendees with ample opportunities to actively participate in equity exercises through various strands and breakout sessions offered across both days. Topics included addressing systemic equity challenges; promoting equitable teaching in STEM classrooms; and supporting access to deeper learning for all by empowering leaders.

The breakout sessions featured over 25 educators who provided insight, facilitated discussions, and engaged with participants on equity topics. Attendees closely examined such concepts as implicit and explicit biases, representation and diversity in STEM, and active antiracism practices.

The Math Equity Conference concluded with a plenary session from Dr. Imani Goffney, an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. Goffney encouraged attendees to use Wakanda, the fictional African nation from Marvel Comics’ Black Panther film, as a metaphorical aid with which to begin imagining the rich potential for equitable and empowering classroom spaces for Black and Brown students.

The STEM Equity Conference concluded with a final discussion which centered around moving forward with the “new normal” in Delaware STEM education, as Delaware STEM Council Co-Chair Teri Quinn Gray described. Gray outlined what she identified as a “triple threat” of national reckonings, with COVID-19, economic instability, and, underscoring it all, racism and social justice issues which presently come to the forefront of the new normal.

Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long also joined the conference for the day’s conclusion to offer final reflections alongside Gray, Riser, FAME Program Director Lakia Belcher, and Randy Guschl, Executive Director of DFSME.

“We are on the right train, we just have to keep the locomotion going,” Hall-Long said of Delaware’s STEM and STEM Equity initiatives. “We are full-speed ahead. STEM learning and STEM equity fuse a real pathway to opportunity and prosperity.”

This final discussion also reflected upon the special opportunity that has emerged to define exactly what the new normal is, specifically in regard to approaches to STEM pedagogy and the challenges of virtual learning. Speakers engaged with critical questions: How can we challenge longstanding narratives in STEM and mathematics that are barriers to equity, and how can we engage in meaningful work and lifelong endeavors that disrupt current inequities at a systemic level?

“It’s important that we start to look at STEM and STEAM as not just a school thing – this is a life thing,” Belcher said. “This is something that all students can engage in, from K to gray, because education never stops… It’s going to take all of us from all walks of life to do the work.”

During the course of both conferences, attendance totaled over 300 persons across both days, with many participants demonstrating enthusiastic and supportive engagement and returning overwhelmingly positive feedback after the conferences.

“This was an incredible day,” one attendee wrote in the feedback submission. “I am filled with emotion as the day comes to a close: An emotional high because the content, speakers, and community inspire me. Emotional because this is such a complex and important focus for our community. Every day and every experience can help us forge new ground. We can and will and are making a difference!”

All are encouraged to continue the conversations surrounding equity and Delaware STEM by attending the Sixth Annual Delaware STEM Educator Awards, which will be held early in 2021. More information will be forthcoming.

Jan Castro is a senior at the University of Delaware, studying English, geography, and journalism. He is a Delaware native from Hockessin and has been a proud student of Delaware educators. After college, he hopes to pursue a career in PR writing and magazine writing.