Category: Op-Ed

The 10th annual Delaware Stem Educator Awards were the evening of Thursday November 7th, at the Buena Vista Country Estates in New Castle County. The event was a live broadcast and highlighted some of Delaware’s best STEM educators. The night recognized STEM excellence and innovation with each winner competing for cash prizes up to $7,500 each.

The 2024 award recipients were Michele Timmons from Phillip C. Showell Elementary in Selbyville, Jordan Estock from Concord High School in Wilmington, and the Math Marigolds team, a group of high school math educators from across the state.

The event was sponsored by Ashland, DuPont, Agilent, Mountaire Farms, LabWare, the Delaware Chapter of the American Chemical Society and Croda. It was also co-hosted by the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME).

DFSME is a business-community-government partnership throughout the State of Delaware, working with educators and administrators by providing professional development on the best practices and improvements in STEM programs.

The Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Ashland, Carolmarie Brown, started the night off by saying, “Tonight, we celebrate a decade of honoring educators who have influenced generations through innovative concepts and approaches in science, technology, engineering, and math.”

Delaware’s elected officials made both in person and virtual appearances throughout the event. Governor Carney, Lieutenant Governor Hall-Long, Representative Rochester, and Senator Coons spoke virtually, and Senator Carper delivered his remarks in person. Each congratulated the winners and spoke on the importance of continuing to build STEM education in Delaware.

The first to speak was Lieutenant Governor Hall-Long who said, “Stem education is creativity, its purpose, its innovation and having a curiosity for the world and making it a better place”. She went on to say, “Educators, pat yourself on the back for the difference you have made in the lives of our students and the state of Delaware.”

The next elected official to address the event was Senator Coons. “Delaware is a hub for STEM-prepared, advanced manufacturing jobs that are no longer the promise of tomorrow, but are here today”, said Coons. “You instill in our students the tools for success in pursuit of their careers.”

Michele Timmons, a K-5 STEM technology and library specialist teacher was the first to be recognized.

“I’m so grateful to work with K-5 students and to be able to expose them to career opportunities they never knew were possible,” Timmons said. She told a story about a little girl from one of her classes who came to her asking if she could become an aerospace engineer one day. Timmons was proud to tell her “yes kid, yes you can.”

The second winner of the night was Jordan Estock, a Design and Engineering teacher from Concord High School in Wilmington. He spoke briefly on the work his students have accomplished.

He said, “My kids use their STEM skills in the community to improve the lives of others.” He then thanked his community which serves as clients for his kids to use their skills. He also thanked his administration for being “allowed a long leash to let his students out of the classroom, which maybe would have not been allowed at a traditional brick and mortar school.”

Next up was Senator-elect Lisa Blunt Rochester, saying, “You are the leaders making a difference in the lives of our young people…encouraging them to develop the STEM skills we need.” She then spoke on the importance of continuing this work, to prepare students to face the challenges of the 21st century.

The third award of the night went to the Math Marigolds, a team of five math educators.  Shellee Wong, Anthony Reid, Susan Sappington, David Moloney and Thomas Becker. They each work with the Delaware Mathematics Coalition, a statewide leadership coaching community, to promote STEM through math skills.

The Math Marigolds’ mission is to develop more student interest in becoming math teachers. They build a stronger pathway into mathematics education, and help students see what it means to be a teacher, and why teachers love to teach. The math pathway initiative has grown over the years from the original five teachers recognized tonight teaching 10 students, to a group of 30 educators mentoring more than 80 students.

The last of the elected officials to speak virtually was Governor Carney. He said, “Access to quality STEM education starts with educators like you. When employers look for a place to start a business, they look for a skilled workforce. Your work brings them here to Delaware.”

In honor of the event’s 10th anniversary, there were a series of essay awards from past recipients of the STEM educator awards. The first-place award went to Engineering Early whose mission is to “set the gears of wonder in motion for early learners through the power of STEM”.

The second-place award went to Girls Tech Together, a nonprofit organization aimed at introducing elementary school girls to fundamental skills in computer science. They use introductory activities and interaction with professionals to prepare them for the STEM-forward future.

Third place went to each of the remaining six essay applicants, Brandi Mycoff, Tommie Polite, Peggie Birch, Krista Bivins, Melissa Tracey, and Jackie Means. Each of them reflected on their time as educators and the ways in which they have been able to accomplish the goals of STEM education.

Towards the end of the evening, the Jon Manon STEAM Team Education Award was presented. The award recognizes a team of teachers who collaborate across disciplines. This year’s team is a little different as it is composed of both teachers and students.

The Delaware Youth Environmental Summit (YES!) is this year’s Manon Award winner, taking home a $1,000 prize. Delaware YES! is an organization of high school students from across the state who are passionate about protecting our Earth.

Carter Lunsford, the team’s student co-leader, spoke on their work. He recognized just how powerful a catalyst youth involvement is in getting this work done. Within just a couple of years they were able to get a plastic bag ban passed in Delaware, making it just the fourth state in the nation to pass such a law.

The next recognition of the night went to a team from Brandywine High School, one of three teams to win the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow national competition. They received $100,000 in Samsung technology and $25,000 in school supplies. The competition highlights how the teams use STEM skills to create positive change in their communities.

The Armbrecht Award for Outstanding STEM Advocacy was the final acknowledgment of the night. This award is presented to a Delawarean who has shown outstanding commitment and collaboration between business, educators, and community leaders to improve math and science education for all students in Delaware. The 2024 recipient was Jack Cairns, recognized for his long-standing service to the state and its students.

Jack was a science teacher for nearly 20 years, and also created the Science Olympiad which continues to this day. After his service as a teacher, Jack was the Delaware State Supervisor of Science/Environmental Science until he became the State Director of the Science Resource Center. He retired in 2001.

The 2025 Armbrecht Award winner, Senator Tom Carper, was then introduced.  He took the podium saying, “I’m grateful of your steadfast commitment to teaching our students and next generation of leaders.” He finished his address with a congratulatory remark for the teachers, complementing them on a job well done. Senator Carper, whose work as former Governor to bolster math and science education, was instrumental in getting the state to where it is today.

To wrap up the night Dr. Kevin Dickerson, Superintendent of the POLYTECH School District and Dr. Michele Kutch, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Brandywine School District, spoke about the development of STEM education in Delaware and their specific districts.

“Beyond its significant practical applications, STEM education nurtures critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration,” said Dickerson. He also spoke about their hands-on apprenticeship programs which have helped several students go directly into the workforce after completion.

Dr. Kutch emphasized the work of the teachers, praising their dedication and commitment. She also touched on how teachers inspire their students and can light a path they never knew possible. To wrap up, she shifted her message to the future, “The work you do today is shaping the leaders, thinkers, and innovators of tomorrow. Our future scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians are in your classrooms right now.”

The award application process for the 11th Delaware STEM educator awards has opened. You can check it out at our website at https://delawarestem.org/symposium-educator-awards/.

This article was written by Jeet Heslin, a senior at the University of Delaware, who is majoring in political science and minoring in journalism.

Tommie Polite

Award-winning Educator Reflects on her Experiences
with Delaware STEM

Tommie Polite placed 2nd in 2023 at the 9th running of the Delaware STEM Educator Awards in the certified middle school category from Seaford Middle School. Polite has been teaching 8th grade math since 2022 at Seaford Middle School in Sussex County. In the Fall of 2024, Polite will transition to Cape Henlopen School District where she will be teaching 9th grade math at the high school. Polite’s passion for mathematics knows no bounds including using her award funds to support her students by buying supplies such as whiteboards and more books.

What challenges and opportunities do you see in teaching STEM and specifically Illustrative Mathematics from Open Up Resources in Delaware?

The biggest challenge is making content applicable to the students. Too often when you hear the word STEM, you automatically think Science and Technology. Very rarely do most push through the acronym to the ‘M’. They’re thinking about electronics and engineering or science and the ‘trial and error’ methodology, but I don’t think that everyone thinks right away math has a lot to do with STEM or specifically with the trial-and-error method.

Math is a great reminder that answers are not black and white exclusively. There is a lot of gray. For example, just because you produce the wrong answer, doesn’t mean that it’s the “wrong” answer. Every time it’s “wrong” is an opportunity to think through the problem on a deeper level. This process is often more important than determining whether or not it was a right or wrong answer.

So, when it comes to the challenge and even to the benefits of math, for me, illustrative mathematics, or any platform that approaches computation as a problem-based resource program, creates the opportunity for kids to become engulfed. This is key because too many students struggle in middle school math because the approach to problems and the examples have not kept pace with the changes in students’ lives. For example, a lot of the problems are being written by people who are much older in age and aren’t seeing the disconnect with younger learners. Textbooks, too often, have problems about money. That, on its face, might seem normal but the problem is that nobody uses money anymore, no one uses coins, no one uses dollar bills.

So, when I encounter a word problem that begins ‘you have coins in your pocket, they’re all quarters…’, I just sigh because the students don’t know what a quarter is anymore. That’s not to say that I think they can’t know or learn what coins are, but rather that it’s not relevant anymore. This is where I see the real benefit of illustrative mathematics. I think in general being a problem-based learning program is huge for supporting STEM education. But it has limitations to today’s kids.

Usually, the only way that we really make a connection between math and real-world applications is through travel. For most of the students it is likely they have traveled with the use of an E-ZPass somewhere. They know that E-ZPass is prepaid and I ask the students, ‘well, how do they get paid for?’ And they know that it’s connected to a wireless bank account. And I ask ‘well, who puts money in the bank account?’ and suddenly there’s all these connections in the students’ eyes. But often times educators really need to walk through these connections

Unlike some other disciplines, students learn math from repetition and if you don’t give them repetition, they don’t remember. If you focus just on telling the students, ‘It’s going to be gone the next time’ you add something new. Using a program like Illustrative Math is a nice merge between the two when they have that problem-based learning but they also have the ability to practice the fluency and memorization parts.

How did the Desmos Application prelude play a role in your approach to using STEM to solve real world problems?

Desmos was huge for me with COVID, mainly because it gave me a platform where I could see kids working in it from home and in class. It was great for a hybrid situation that became so common during that time.

I could communicate with the kids at-home and the kids in-class using the same material. I could show 20 kids work and easily go back and forth between students in different locations to teach the same lessons. For example, when we were doing linear functions, if they changed the coefficient, they could see how it directly affected the steepness of the line. Technology like this is instrumental for teaching math – especially when I have limited time with each kid. Students can manipulate the illustration, play with it, change it and help them build understanding of what the coefficient does, etc. That was huge and I think Desmos is a masterful inclusion.

So now Illustrative Math will be taught, using Amplify, which is what I believe Seaford is going to do this year with their honors program.

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.

Honestly no. I would love to say yes, but we are so forced to focus on pacing and the curriculum, we don’t get a lot of chances to involve outside resources. Even this year, I know going into my new position, it’s an A B schedule. I get three classes a day that I’m teaching and on that A B schedule I get 90 minutes, but I’m expected to do two lessons in that one day instead of the two days.

So, squeezing two lessons into 90 minutes is going to take every available minute. When would we have time to add in those STEM opportunities where I can do some cross-curricular components, where I’m adding in some science or some agriculture? It can be challenging. I have taken the opportunity to work with our agriculture teacher and with our science teachers in the past in order to maximize similar vocabulary usage. For example, working with the other teachers to remind the students that ‘hey, you’ve done this in math class’ when they’re already in science class and they’re building a graph to represent their theoretical data. But overall, the opportunities in class and the time constraints make these collaborations challenging.

What are some of the creative lessons you used in 2023 to introduce and include students with diverse backgrounds or who have learning needs that must be met in different ways? For example, “I can’t do math or math is not for me”.

I would bring in the Desmos activities, the online programs. When I’m getting kids from different levels of knowledge, I have a lot of online programs that help. We have kids that have made it through 3rd grade in their home country, and come here and they’re in 8th grade math. Alternatively, I have kids who have disabilities that need very focused attention, who are autistic, or others who are great at math, but cannot read. In general, the biggest way to make an impact is to use technology, because I can program technology to support them where they need to be supported. Especially when you can also engulf that 8th grade student with the idea that it’s a video game. The moment that engulfed feeling in math happens the students then keep trying different approaches until they finally find one that makes the concept make sense to them.

I use Prodigy a lot. Anytime they finish a classroom assignment and they have free time, they know they’re going on to Prodigy. I always have standards that are programmed into Prodigy, but if they finish early, Prodigy automatically puts them into something that they need to practice.

For example, if I know I have a student coming in at a 3rd grade level, I won’t put them in an 8th grade level on Prodigy. Instead, I’ll put them at the 3rd grade level. So, then in the classroom they’re learning at 8th but I’m addressing their lack of abilities through a different program that nobody else knows about. This format offers anonymity and repetition, and other students won’t know what they’re working on.

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?

Anyone who is truly motivated should apply – even if they don’t always see how they fit into STEM. There is actually someone I am encouraging to apply for the Award. As a science teacher, and to me, what she does is so amazing because she’s all about having the students figure things out for themselves. Ironically enough, she never wanted to be a teacher. She completed a degree in forensic science. But was told after graduation that she can’t go into forensic science unless she works for the police department in Delaware for five to ten years. 

But she genetically was predisposed to not be able to make the academy. She’s physically incapable of being a police officer. When she found that out, she was like, ‘well, that just dashed all of my dreams’. She switched to education and took the ARTC, the alternative to teaching certification, to become a science teacher. Her ability to connect in science is so amazing while also off the beaten path. I’m going to help her do the application and help her find that motivation. Hopefully she’ll do it with me, but I think, in-general we need to get people to understand what it means to actually do STEM. 

“I don’t think everybody really fully understands the depth that STEM has
in connection to all of our real lives.
I want to illustrate what the ‘M’ in STEM looks like.”

Truth be told as a math teacher; I did not relate myself to STEM until after I was nominated for the presidential STEM award. I had no idea what I was doing was that important. I knew math was math. I knew what the ‘M’ stands for, of course. The problem is how does math relate to STEM? I think there is a disconnect there sometimes.

What was your experience winning the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

I was completely in awe. First of all, I felt so validated as a math teacher. I knew math was important and I knew it was important to me. I knew what I was teaching, my kids were important, but when other people recognized it, I started looking at myself as more than ‘that teacher who gets paid less than everyone else in the entire world’. I wasn’t just the teacher standing in a room that gets left alone until it’s time for an observation or communicating with parents and explaining why I can’t give their kids a passing grade. It became something more. It became an opportunity for me to say, ‘wow’, I am good at what I do and I am proud of myself. And I worked hard to get here. It made me really reflect on what I was doing in the classroom and I think it makes me think any time that you get recognition, it makes you a better teacher moving forward. 

Having said all that, I wish there were more opportunities to recognize teachers for what they do because we have so many teachers who are there just for the paycheck because they are so burned out and they’ve done it for so long that they just get told this isn’t enough, here’s more on your plate. There’s so many things out there that bring you down as an educator. Those little pieces that lift you up just don’t happen enough. I used to watch Dr. Phil all the time and one of the things he says is that ‘an attaboy is only as good as the number of negatives that have been put before it’. We just need more positives surrounding our educators. And we don’t have that, so, winning that award validated me. The monetary part that was huge too. Obviously any educator who’s worth their salt is putting that money directly back into their classroom and technology for the future. 

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

I bought more whiteboards so that I could do vertical surfaces in the classroom to go with building mathematics thinking classrooms. Whiteboards that I could hang on the walls. I also bought whiteboard dots that I could stick on the desks. I wanted the students writing on anything that wasn’t paper so that they could just get what they’re thinking down and know that it’s not a permanent solution. Nothing in math is permanent if you erase it and put a different number, the answer is different. I was really engrossed in the idea that building mathematics and building thinking classrooms through mathematics. I also bought five new books to read so that I could focus on including more direct questioning with math – so that I could get kids thinking mathematically. And, did I use a little of the award funds for myself? Of course, of course.

What’s next for you and what’s next for STEM at Seaford Middle or Cape Henlopen High.

At Seaford middle, the plan was to incorporate the new math curriculum, Amplify, which should encompass some STEM components. Technology is a huge addition in STEM, as well as being able to use that technology to manipulate mathematics.

I don’t know what that looks like yet. I don’t know where the curriculum is moving to in the high school. I’ll be teaching freshman algebra, so a lot of what I used at the middle school level should be translatable. 

The wall of middle school agriculture presentations from the DE State Fair
where the interview with Tommie Polite took place.

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

Oh, huge aspects. Huge. It does so much at reaching students who are above level or below level, even at level. Giving them the additional practice time and the ability to really build their understanding of the application is huge. Being able to manipulate the different parts and pieces of variables in mathematics has also been huge. So, I think technology and the adaptability to add that technology into the classroom is always going to be huge.

Much of this came to a head during COVID in 2019 when I signed up for my master’s program in applied technology. The thinking at the time was ‘what better time am I going to need this than right now?’ It was about using online based programs and online support. All of these games and ways to practice mathematics – and now having no limitations in applying them in a classroom setting – was groundbreaking. When I started the applied mathematics, applied technology program, I was able to start utilizing a lot of what we were doing with the COVID restrictions anyway. As I went into the program I started Googling and researching ‘are there programs out there that already have illustrative mathematics preloaded? Are there other teachers out there who are loading a lecture of math lessons into a Desmos platform so that we could do slides on the screen remotely?’. COVID, in some ways, forced many of these conversations.

I feel like Technology is the easiest way to level out that platform but also strategic grouping, like just having strategic grouping with kids in the classroom, having a problem-based curriculum, allows you to put students who are not as high up with other kids who are high up to kids learning from each other. They’re not going to listen to me as well as they’re going to listen to others, especially their peers.

—

Seaford Middle School: Part of the Seaford School District, the Seaford Middle School, located at 500 East Stein Highway Seaford, DE 19973

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 4th Annual Delaware STEM & Math Equity Conferences:
“Cultivating Equitable Climates of Learning”
By Jan Castro

On October 14 and 15, the STEM and Math Equity Conferences were held for the fourth consecutive year as over 500 educators and attendees from throughout the state and beyond joined together to advance the mission of cultivating and promoting more equitable climates of learning in the spaces of science, technology, engineering, and math education.

The magnitude, ambition, and success of the conferences were a result of the collaboration of many of the state’s biggest advocates for STEM equity, including the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), the Delaware STEM Council, the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME), the Delaware Math Coalition (DMC), the Delaware Council of Mathematics Leaders, and the Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering (FAME).

The conferences would also have not been possible without the continued support of both recurring and new sponsors, including Labware, DuPont, Croda, Mount Aire, Ashland, The Math Learning Center, Delmarva Power, Verizon, Bloom Energy, Heinemann, the Delaware Afterschool Network (DEAN), ACS Delaware, Science is Fun, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Amplify.

Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Mark Holodick began the first day of conferences by setting the tone for the two-day Equity Summit.
“These conferences provide an opportunity for us to come together around a single focus,” Dr. Holodick said. “We have to ensure that what we put in front of our children positions them for success within and beyond our schools, and that every student has access to high quality curricular materials and high quality instruction.”

October 14: Delaware Math Equity Conference

Dr. Holodick also introduced keynote speaker Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall. Serving as the Director of P-12 Practice at The Education Trust and a Principal Consultant of Liaison Educational Partners, LLC, Dr. Marshall is a national-level speaker and agent of change in education whose work centers around addressing complex issues of educational equity.
“If you don’t know that equity is everywhere and equity is everything, the mere fact that I am being translated to ensure that folks that are hard of hearing or deaf is an indication that equity is everywhere and equity is everything,” Marshall said, acknowledging the conference’s sign language translators. “The mission is to empower every learner with the highest quality education through shared leadership, innovative practices, and exemplary services. Embedded in that is this notion: That equity is everywhere and equity is everything.”

Following these introductions, attendees were given the opportunity to explore a diverse selection of equity focuses from over 20 different breakout rooms led by educators, leaders, and advocates. These topics broadly ranged from “Addressing Systemic Equity Challenges” and “Promoting Equitable Teaching in the Mathematics Classroom,” to “Empowering Leaders: Supporting Access to Deeper Learning for All.”
At mid-day, Stanford University’s Dr. Jo Boaler, a professor of mathematics and published author specializing in mathematics reform and data science, joined attendees in delivering the second keynote address entitled, “Important Ideas for Equitable Mathematics Outcomes and Strategies for Leading Change.” Shortly after, Dr. Pam Seda delivered the final keynote address, “Let it Go! Why Releasing Control is an Equity Issue,” ending the day on a strong note. As a thirty-year veteran of mathematics education and founder of Seda Educational Consulting LLC, Dr. Seda’s closing messaging sought to disrupt conventional pedagogical frameworks that emphasized control and, in doing so, empower students with positive mathematics learning experiences.

“With all these expectations that are placed on teachers, it’s very tempting to try to control every aspect of the learning process,” Dr. Seda said. “Who really controls the learning? And, if we think about it, where does learning take place? It takes place inside the heads of our children; that’s where learning happens. So, can we really control the learning? I don’t think so, I think our students are the ones that ‘drive that truck.’”
October 15: Delaware STEM Equity Conference.

The STEM Equity Conference, which took place the following day, offered a continuation of the critical equity dialogue through five unique panel discussions consisting of STEM leaders from all spaces, from DDOE, K-12, and higher education institutions, to the business and community side, including voices from DuPont, Ashland, DEAN, and FAME.

Alongside Delaware STEM Council Executive Director Daniel Suchenski, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, a longtime supporter of the equity conferences, welcomed attendees and encouraged them in the importance of the work in which they engage with throughout the conferences.

“Everybody here understands that whether it’s K-12, higher education, or workforce redevelopment, that we have to get it right with equity,” Hall-Long said. “I want you to just jump right in, roll up the sleeves, continue to brainstorm, and come out of this session with additional roadmap steps. But let’s really put the lens on equity. On behalf of the state, the governor, and myself, thank you for what you’re doing.”

A series of virtual clips from STEM leaders from across the country also set the tone for the day, including greetings from Bruce Alberts, a prominent biochemist and National Medal of Science recipient; Freeman Hrabowski III, President Emeritus of the University of Maryland Baltimore County; and Bassam Shakhashiri, an educator and chemist, former ACS president, and founder of Science is Fun.
“Our role in the classroom and in the community is to engage everyone, to be inclusive, to be inviting. To enjoy the beautiful chemical world that we live in and to help protect our planet,” Shakhashiri “We must do this for the common good.”

Addressing “What STEM Equity Success Looks Like”, panel leaders included Jon Wichert and Tonyea Mead (DDOE), Tina Mitchell (DSU), Milton Muldrow (WilmU), Andrea Gardner (Discovery Ed), and Matt Krehbiel (OpenSciEd). In the afternoon, Business and Community STEM Educators addressed “Beyond the Curriculum, What’s it Going to Take to Promote Student Success in STEM?” with panel leaders including Carolmarie Brown (Ashland), Alexa Dembek (DuPont), Regina Sidney-Brown (DEAN) and Don Baker (FAME).

The conferences ultimately concluded with closing remarks by DDOE’s Dr. Cora Scott, “Challenging Ourselves to Take the Next Bold Step.”
For the full day’s events of the Oct. 14 Math Equity Conference and bios of speakers, click here.

To access the October 15 STEM Equity Agenda with live links to a video of the conference and to the videos and bios of our drop-in speakers, click here.

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 two-day series of virtual professional development sessions was held October 8-9, following the immense success of last year’s conferences.

This year continued to build upon the body of work to address STEM equity in the state and beyond, an initiative which the Delaware STEM Council launched in 2019. The Council has since sought to preserve a forum where these complex yet necessary conversations can be shared, particularly in the virtual era of COVID-19.

The event was made possible thanks to major sponsors Labware, Heinemann, and Verizon, as well as the American Chemical Society (ACS) Delaware Local Section, Scifun.org, the Delaware Afterschool Network (DEAN), DuPont, Delmarva Power, and Bloom Energy.

In addition to the Delaware STEM Council, the conferences represent a collaborative effort between the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME), the Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering (FAME), the Delaware Math Coalition (DMC).

The conferences began with Day 1’s Math Equity Conference, which was kicked off with opening remarks from Governor John Carney and State Secretary of Education Susan Bunting, both of whom have consistently been ardent advocates of Delaware STEM and the STEM Equity mission.

This introduction was followed by Dr. Nicol Lee Turner, a Senior Fellow and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institute’s Center for Technology, whose keynote address touched upon the critical inequities which exist outside of the classroom. Specifically, as the shift to virtual learning has exposed the striking disparities in students’ access to basic technological tools and infrastructure, Turner demonstrated the many ways in which the pursuit of equity in STEM education must transcend the four walls of a classroom.

“We have to ensure that our mantra for the 21st century is ‘no child left offline,’” Turner said. “How we handle the digital divide and the digitally invisible is how we are going to handle education moving forward.”

Furthermore, unique to the Math Equity Conference agenda was the opportunity for attendees to directly participate in equity exercises and impactful conversation through a diverse program of breakout sessions.

The breakout sessions featured over 28 mathematics educators and leaders who provided insight, facilitated discussions, and, alongside participants, closely examined themes of “Addressing Systemic Equity Challenges;” “Promoting Equitable Teaching in the Mathematics Classroom;” and “Empowering Leaders: Supporting Access to Deeper Learning for All.”

The Math Equity Conference was highlighted with another keynote address from Dr. Michael Flynn, the Director of Math Programs at Mt. Holyoke College. In his session “Powerful Moments in Math Class”, Flynn explored strategies to create memorable learning experiences and identity-defining moments through the lens of mathematics education.

“We want our lessons and learning experiences to leave long-lasting impressions on those with whom we work. We want to empower those with whom we work with a belief that they too are math capable. When we understand the psychology behind memories, learning, and identity, we can leverage that knowledge to design powerful moments for adults and students alike.” – Dr. Michael Flynn, Director of Math Programs at Mt. Holyoke College

The STEM Equity Conference took place on Day 2 and offered a series of four discussions featuring experts, practitioners, and advocates from across the state, one of them being Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, a life-long and fervent champion of STEM, who returned to continue support for the Equity Conferences.

 “There is nothing more important that we can do than to educate
our young minds about the potential of STEM.
With the STEM work that we are doing in Delaware,
I am touched by how much we are making a difference.”
– Bethany Hall-Long, Lieutenant Governor, Delaware

Following this introduction was a special encounter between two prominent science communicators, public figures, and trailblazers, Jackie Means, the founder of the Wilmington Urban STEM Initiative and a sophomore medical diagnostics major at the University of Delaware, and Dr. Bassam Shakhashiri, a professor, chemist, former ACS president, and host of his own seasonal PBS special, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Surrounded by flasks and test tubes filled with colorful liquids and bubbling dry ice, Shakhashiri, sporting a “Science is Fun” t-shirt, had prepared a series of scientific demonstrations to illustrate and discuss with Means the inherent fun in science and STEM education.

“The language in which we speak about what we’re doing and what we’re teaching is really important, especially with kids,” Means said. “It is important how we talk about STEM because that’s how [kids] will develop and interpret things for the rest of their lives. They’ll internalize that and keep that positive connotation, hopefully, as they think about STEM as they grow older.”

The conversion between Shakhashiri and Means further meditated on the power of engaging students and individuals by connecting their natural curiosities and scientific inquiries with the larger picture of society and daily life, consequently imbuing such connections with lasting meaning and inspiration, an impact that can be had both in the classroom and beyond.

 “We have an awesome responsibility to teach our students very important skills. But far more important than anything else is our responsibility to convey an attitude about the nature of science, and the beauty of engaging in scientific explorations.”
– Dr. Bassam Shakhashiri, Science Is Fun

As featured Speaker of the day, Dr. Jo Boaler, professor of mathematics and noted author, shared her presentation “The Role of Data Science in School Mathematics.” Boaler’s bold research involves the importance and emergence of data science being incorporated across classes including math, science, statistics, and computers for K-12 education. Currently working at local and national levels, she emphasized how the data revolution has transformed modern life and it’s time we bring data literacy to our education system.

 “If our schools are to succeed in preparing data-literate citizens, then they will have to begin by rethinking the K-12 mathematics curriculum. It won’t be sufficient just to add a new unit or two to the existing course of study. If we’re serious about giving meaningful attention to data science, that should prompt us to ask a fundamental question: In the 21^st century, what kinds of mathematics do our students actually need to learn?” – Dr. Jo Boaler, Stanford University

Boaler concluded with the concept that expanding the mathematics pathway to include data science will expand access to mathematics that prepare students to answer important and relevant questions.

Discussion topic “Tools for Fostering an Inclusive and Diverse Classroom Community” was facilitated by Lakia Belcher, Director of Education and Strategic Outreach at FAME, Inc. Belcher presented practical nuggets that can help educators tap into diverse student backgrounds while building equity in the classroom.

Belcher talked candidly about how to recognize and overcome one’s microaggressions. Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages. Belcher shared examples of how to acknowledge and avoid microaggressions in an effort to strengthen a more equitable classroom and beyond.

The conference weekend concluded with panelists exploring the “M in STEM” – rethinking and reframing mathematics skills for the future Delaware STEM workforce. Panelists included Hiral Antala, IT Project Manager from Christiana Care, Ryan Harrington, Associate Director, Delaware Data Innovation Lab, and Dr. Jamila Riser, Executive Director of the Delaware Math Coalition. The roundtable discussion was lead by Luke Rhine, Director of Career & Technical Education and STEM Initiatives at the Delaware Department of Education.

“I love the idea of creating meaning and using mathematics to solve, not problems – not solving for x – but things that will directly impact the decisions that people will make tomorrow, the decisions that policymakers will make in our next legislative session,” said Rhine. “And these decisions have very real implications for the communities in which we live.”

Attendance totaled in record numbers over the course of both conferences, with many participants returning five-star feedback.

All are encouraged to continue to meaningfully engage in the Delaware STEM ecosystem and community by attending the Seventh Delaware STEM Educator Awards, which will be held on November 4, 2021 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

All are encouraged to continue the conversations surrounding equity and Delaware STEM by attending the 7th Delaware STEM Educator Awards, which will be held in October 2022.

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

The Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME) enjoys a twenty-five-year history of promoting world-class Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education in Delaware, including working to ensure access to a state-of-the-art STEM education for all of Delaware’s students.  As a coalition of representatives from K-12 and higher education, business, and state government, we are deeply concerned about the potential damage the current pandemic crisis may be doing to efforts to achieve educational equity in STEM instruction.  In response to ongoing horrific incidents of institutional violence against people of color in our country, we are even more aware of the imperative to achieve social justice in our education system.  Indeed, we hope that our education system can respond to this moment as an inflection point by moving forward toward a fully equitable “new normal” in STEM education.

One of DFSME’s core goals is to help build a coordinated STEM ecosystem by forging a stronger interface between the business and education communities in Delaware. We believe that this unique collaborative partnership should strive to envision the possibilities for creating a more powerful, intrinsically engaging STEM education for all of Delaware’s K-12 students. As a concerned community, we should begin by assessing what Delaware educators have learned as they have attempted to provide effective online instruction this past spring and what essential elements of face-to-face interactions were missing.  It would be a wasted opportunity if our educational system fails to develop a more equitable hybrid model of STEM education post-pandemic.

Data on our students’ differential levels of connectivity makes it abundantly clear that it is imperative that we work to ensure broadband access for all of Delaware’s students from north to south, in rural, suburban and urban communities. It has become painfully obvious during the past three months as schools and universities turned to a massive experiment in online instruction, just how unequal reliable access to the internet is in our state.  Likewise, not all students have the devices they will need to power online learning in the future.  Achieving equity in these two components of learning technology will require contributions from both private and public sectors and should build upon the early innovations already undertaken in our state such as wiring public libraries for local WIFI access and the strengthening of broadband access.  

Although universal access to learning technologies is a necessary first step, it will not bring full equity.  As a system, we need to leverage the best ideas that are emerging from the crucible of experimentation in online learning by our K-16 teachers over the past three months and be open to learning from business and other communities as well.  My personal experience in changing a UD mathematics class for K-8 teachers from in-person to online delivery hints at the possibility that synchronous online instruction can benefit some students who are normally underserved in a typical face-to-face classroom setting.  For example, the purposeful use of online environments like “breakout rooms” and shared electronic “whiteboards” may benefit a number of otherwise marginalized students, who, in a traditional classroom setting are often reluctant to “come to the board.”  There have been notable innovations in online teaching and learning pioneered here in Delaware as well as across the nation and we need to curate access to the best of these efforts.  Certainly, Delaware’s educators will need a considerable amount of professional development before we can optimize the possibilities of online / hybrid learning for all students.  That professional development should be a top priority for all of our educational institutions.

We must also maximize hands-on experiential instruction because “active learning” has been shown to support the achievement of all students, not just those who seem to prosper in lecture-based settings.  We can imagine how our schools and universities might reconfigure the precious time that our teachers and smaller groups of students could have in face-to-face learning environments.  This seems essential given the likelihood that, at least in the near term, Delaware may limit school-site learning hours to fewer days per week and fewer students per class.  We at DFSME would like to encourage the development of a hybrid learning system in which online learning both precedes and follows rich technology-intensive onsite learning.  It may well be that some teachers choose to manage this in-school learning while other teachers, who are becoming skilled at online instruction and for whom face-to-face instruction poses greater health risks, take on complementary roles in this new normal.

Finally, we must determine who will take the lead in this transition to a brighter future for STEM learning.  It is obvious that collaboration is more important now than ever.  Our partners from business have already begun to share their experiences about returning to work in safer spaces, and our STEM educators have learned many lessons, both positive and problematic, about engaging with their students online.  Together, we must ensure that this more powerful, better-focused hybrid suite of STEM learning experiences is provided for all of our students, not just the fortunate few who have always benefited from enhanced STEM instruction. This way, all students will have access to greater economic opportunities, and the Delaware workforce and economy will continue to grow. 

Please join us in this most pressing conversation about improving STEM education for all at this moment of national and global challenge and change given both the Covid-19 pandemic and a growing realization that people of color do not enjoy equal protections under the law nor equal advantages from our educational system.  For further information and to participate in this important discussion, please go to our website at https://dfsme.org/about-us/.

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About the Author: Jon Manon, is President of The Board of Directors of The Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education

Savannah Swanson / Delaware Technical Community College

The Delaware Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Council held its fifth annual STEM Symposium and Educator Awards Ceremony at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, DE, on Tuesday, October 8, 2019. The symposium ran from 2 p.m.- 5:30 p.m., followed by a brief reception, and ending with the awards ceremony from 6 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. 

Co-hosted by the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education and sponsored by Ashland Inc, the awards ceremony recognizes teachers or a team of teachers at the elementary, middle and high school levels who demonstrate STEM innovation and excellence through their teaching and student engagement.

Ashland’s Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Vito Consiglio gave the keynote speech during the awards ceremony. Consiglio values STEM education and the development of the STEM workforce because not only is he in the STEM field, but his family members are as well.

 “STEM is a widely recognized acronym, but the reality is that it goes way beyond what the letters are. It’s not limited by those four letters,” Consiglio said.

“We love to be a part of this. We think it is an integral part of the betterment of human society.”

Tackling inequality in STEM

This year’s symposium topic tackles what equity- and the lack of equity- looks like in the STEM workforce and STEM education. Participants specifically looked at how and why minority groups are underrepresented in STEM. 

STEM Council co-chairs Teri Quinn Gray and Jud Wagner were very excited about this year’s focus on inequities in the STEM workforce and classrooms and believe talking about problems facing STEM is what enables change.

“We wanted to create an environment where we can talk about [inequity] with real, authentic conversations and not be so inhibited or judged,” Gray said.

“In the political backdrop of where we are in the nation as well as the world, that’s a difficult thing to have right now, but it’s time that we should be talking about it.” 

As a STEM educator at Brandywine High School, Wagner is keen on doing his part in increasing access to quality STEM education for underrepresented students as well as nontraditional students. Wagner has done his part in encouraging these individuals to participate in STEM through his inclusive STEM programs.

Wagner has helped run a summer STEM camp at Brandywine High, of which many participants were female. Elementary and middle school students participated, with high schoolers and college students in STEM-related majors working with the younger students. 

Wagner said it has been really endearing and exciting to see kids from various age groups encouraging each other to succeed and teaching one another. 

The symposium started in the afternoon with a panel discussing this year’s topic of inequity in STEM. The panel consisted of STEM educators, including Wagner, and STEM students & employees, and was moderated by Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Susan Bunting.

 “I’m very interested by the unique and creative ways educators have tried to do what our students talk to us about doing- to make learning exciting and to make it involve and encourage problem solving,” Bunting said.

“I am all for education that is meaningful. It challenges them to think and to apply and to stretch their knowledge and the application of that knowledge.”

The panelists discussed how they have experienced inequity in their respective STEM areas and the ways in which they succeeded in overcoming the obstacles produced by inequity. 

One of the most powerful stories came from panelist Jacqueline Means. Means is a senior at the Delaware Military Academy (DMA), where she commands over 300 cadets as the Bravo Battalion Commanding Officer.

Means grew up in Southbridge, DE, where economic mobility is extremely low. Means’ interest in STEM helped her overcome the negative statistics that define the Southbridge area. She uses her passion for learning to encourage other young children in Wilmington, specifically girls, to pursue their dreams in STEM.

 “You are so much more. You are not limited to what is around you,” Means said. “There’re so much more out there to expand your mind.”

At 17 years old, Means has founded the Wilmington Urban STEM Initiative, and works to empower young girls to chase their dreams. She also created summer programs in the Wilmington area where children can engage in educational STEM activities. 

After high school, Means plans to study neuroscience, so she may eventually become a neurosurgeon.

Mentoring through STEM

Another major point discussed by panelists and audience members was the importance of being a mentor to young learners and encouraging positive relationships with students.

Lakia Belcher, the Director of Education and Strategic Outreach for FAME, Inc. is very passionate about giving students mentors and encouraging students to absorb what they learn, rather than just memorize the information.

Belcher said she believes that giving young learners positive mentors is the key factor in increasing children’s retention of knowledge. But making an impact on students, she says, starts with taking the time to get to know them.

“The biggest thing I tell my teacher friends is to build relationships and get to know your students, and then you can teach them. If you don’t get to know them, you’ll only get so far,” Belcher said.

“Through that idea of relationship building, that’s how you’re able to foster and create wonderful and brilliant students.”

Belcher also believes that change only comes if people are aware of the inequities affecting the STEM industry and surround themselves with others who have different viewpoints.

“If everybody looks the same, talks the same, and walks the same, then there will be no innovation, and everything will be stagnant,” Belcher said.

Following the panel discussion, audience members engaged in an activity called Cross the Line, where they were given a statement and told to step forward if they agreed or identified with it. The goal of Cross the Line is to help participants identify and acknowledge the differences among one other, and by doing so be more aware of those differences and challenges that others face in STEM.

Participants then broke off into groups for the rest of the symposium to discuss the importance of the Cross the Line activity, as well as the history of equity and the lack of equity in education and how it has changed over the years. 

Awards Ceremony

After the conclusion of the symposium in the afternoon, everyone enjoyed a brief networking reception which allowed everyone to socialize with each other and discuss the day’s events thus far.

Afterwards, the Awards Ceremony began with Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall Long speaking on the importance of quality STEM education in Delaware. 

 “Policy makers nationally and at the state level have to be aware that we can’t have a one-size-fits-all curriculum,” Long said.

Like Bunting, Long has a background in education and knows that interacting successfully with students starts with understanding that not all of them are the same, and that they cannot be put into a “cookie-cutter mold.”

Long was not the only Delaware political figure to address the audience. Although they could not attend, Gov. John Carney, Sens. Chris Coons and Tom Carper, and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester sent video messages to the event, with all of them thanking STEM educators for their work in Delaware schools.

Finally, STEM Council Co-Chairs Wagner and Gray announced this year’s winners.

For the elementary level:

• Library media specialist Heather Fitzgerald won for her work in the Smyrna School District since 2015.

For the middle school level:

•  Millsboro Middle School science teacher Sarah Betlejewski won for her work in the Indian River School District.

The high school level was a little more competitive, with three awards given:

• Michele Thomas won third place for her work at Sussex Technical High School in the Sussex Tech School District. She’s been a science teacher in the Sussex Tech District since 2012.

• Second place went to agricultural teacher Karen Ferrucci for her work at William Penn High School in the Colonial School District. She has been with the district since 2016.

• Finally, Margaret Birch received top honors for her work as a computer science teacher at Caesar Rodney High School. She has been with the Caesar Rodney School District since 2000.

Daniel Suchenski, the executive director for the Governor’s STEM Council, said he’d love to boost student engagement at future events, but overall loves how enthusiastic participants are during the symposium discussions.

“The Symposium is not meant to advocate for a specific, prescribed, or top-down policy change to improve STEM access in the state,” Suchenski said.

“Simply having the conversation, and getting people talking to one another, can be more powerful than coming up with a solution.”

For more information on this year’s symposium and awards, visit delawarestem.org, or visit their Facebook page for updates on the Council’s work in Delaware at facebook.com/DelawareSTEM.

Along with Ashland Inc, this year’s symposium and awards are sponsored by the following:

• DuPont
• Air Liquide
• Verizon
• Agilent Technologies
• Junior Achievement of Delaware
• Labware
• ZipCode Wilmington
• Bloom Energy
• Spekciton Biosciences

Additional partners include:

• Delaware Math Coalition
• Delaware Technical Community College
• Delaware State University
• Delcastle Technical High School
• FAME Inc.
• Rodel
• DelawareBio
• Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

About the Delaware STEM Council

The Delaware STEM Council was created in 2011 by former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell with the mission to increase STEM literacy for Delaware students and boost the number of individuals interested in pursuing advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields.

The Council is headed by Co-Chairs Jud Wagner and Teri Quinn Gray, and Executive Director Daniel Suchenski. Wagner is a physics and engineering teacher at Brandywine High School in Wilmington, DE. Gray is a chemist working with DuPont in Wilmington, DE, and serves on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Education Delivery Institute (EDI). Suchenski serves on the board for the Delaware Foundation for Science and Math Education (DFSME).

About Ashland Inc.

Ashland Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a premier global specialty chemicals company serving customers in a wide range of consumer and industrial markets, including adhesives, architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverages, nutraceuticals, personal care and pharmaceutical. 

At Ashland, we are approximately 6,500 passionate, tenacious solvers – from renowned scientists and research chemists to talented engineers and plant operators – who thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries. Visit ashland.com to learn more.

About DFSME

Delaware Foundation for Science & Mathematics Education’s (DFSME) mission is to strengthen STEM education and prepare Delaware students to be informed citizens and competitive in the global workforce. Our vision is that Delaware’s world-class STEM education system will serve as a magnet to attract businesses, families, and innovative educators to come to and remain in Delaware.

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About Savannah Swanson

Savannah Swanson is a Communications student at Delaware Technical Community College, Jack F. Owens Campus in Georgetown, DE. She plans on graduating with her Associate’s degree in the spring of 2020, and then wants to pursue her Bachelor’s degree at a four-year university. 

The Fifth Annual Delaware STEM Symposium was held at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington last Tuesday, Oct. 8. The event was hosted by the Delaware STEM Council in conjunction with the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education (DFSME), with primary sponsors Ashland and DuPont. The theme for this year’s symposium was equity, as throughout the conference, educators, business leaders, and policy-makers tackled head-on the challenges of working to make STEM in Delaware more equitable for all; students, educators, and workers alike.

The symposium began with a panel discussion between Delaware Military Academy students Seth Lawrence and Jacqueline Means, Brandywine High School educator and former Delaware STEM Council Co-chair Judson Wagner, and Candice Roundtree, a chemical engineer at Delmarva Power. The panel, comprised of the student, educator, and business leader perspectives, addressed their own experiences with equity or inequity, as well as barriers they may have faced in their educations or careers in STEM fields.

“I live in Southbridge, Wilmington, Delaware,” Means said. “In fact, only 40% of teens living there graduate with a high school diploma. I saw that there was a need for STEM programs, especially free ones.”

At 16 years old, Means, the self-described “STEM Queen,” founded the Wilmington Urban STEM Initiative and hosts Girls Empowerment STEM events, which offer free, accessible STEM programs and educational opportunities for young girls and students in Wilmington.

“I want to equip them with the knowledge and confidence that they, as females, can succeed in the STEM field,” Means described in her mission statement on her personal website.

Seth Lawrence also leads the way as both a student and a young educator. As an aspiring pilot at Delaware Military Academy, Lawrence joined the United States Air Force Auxiliary, and is now a 2nd Lieutenant Officer and leader among younger students who share the same enthusiasm for aviation. Lawrence is also involved in STEM and STEM equity organizations such as the Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering (FAME) based in Delaware, and is an advocate for similar programs, such as the Organization for Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP).

“Aviation takes on literally every aspect of STEM,” Lawrence said, recalling the origins of his passion for aviation. “Once the wheels took off and I wasn’t touching the ground anymore, I was like, ‘Whoa, I’m in the sky. I gotta do it now.’ Since that moment, that created a drive for me. Now I have the opportunity to teach the younger kids who just joined, who are maybe in the lower ranks of Airman or Airman First Class. I see myself in them, and I remember I was really excited about aviation, and I still am now.”

Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Susan Bunting moderated the panel discussion. Prior to joining Governor John Carney’s cabinet in 2017, Bunting herself was a veteran Delaware educator and former superintendent of the Indian River School District, attuned to the worlds of equity, diversity, and accessibility in the classrooms. According to Bunting, she visits over 100 Delaware schools over the course of the year.

“I’m always the advocate for the kid who has no one else to speak for him,” Bunting said. “I’m always concerned about programs that are there. I want to make sure that students are not deprived of that opportunity. I think we as educators can do a lot more to assure [them].”

The panel discussion was followed by a “Cross the Line” activity, in which participants engaged in an exercise which challenged their comfort zones, introducing them to the complexity of pursuing equity in the classroom or workplace. The activity, which instructed participants to cross a line every time an announced quality of race, gender, or identity was applicable to them, highlighted the dynamics of diversity and difference, community versus isolation, setting an example versus joining a crowd.

“As educators, how do we navigate power in our classrooms? Do we reinforce already existing hierarchies? Do we challenge them? Do we complicate them? And, if so, how do we make that transparent,” a moderator asked in the evening’s following segment, “Real Conversations,” wherein participants broke into separate groups to reflect on the exercise.

“Kids need more teachers who look like them, and who have had common experiences as them,” Anne Pfaelzer de Ortiz, Director of Development & Operations for DFSME, said. “How do you open the eyes of the teachers and of the educational system? So that, even if you don’t look like the kid, you accept a student and accept what he or she brings. And instead of passing over the kid, you open doors. It’s a huge amount of work that teachers do, and a huge amount of power that they have – and equal to the power that a parent or family member has.”

In concluding the first half of the symposium, closing remarks were made by DFSME Executive Director Randy Guschl and FAME Program Director Lakia Belcher, as well as a final address from Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long.

The Lt. Governor also represents another Delaware government official with an extensive background and relationship with STEM and STEM education, having pursued nursing in her undergraduate studies and later completing her Ph.D. in health policy and nursing administration.

“Everyone should have equal opportunity,” Lt. Governor Hall-Long said. “A strong science background is a must for the Delaware workforce. And young children, whether it’s our inner cities or our rural communities, should have the same opportunity. So, for me, equity is paramount.”

A brief intermission was followed by the second half of the symposium, which included video correspondence and messages from Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Governor John Carney, all leading up to the evening’s Delaware STEM Educator Awards ceremony.

“Delaware’s future experts on science, technology, and engineering all have to start their learning somewhere, and you’re inspiring them to succeed,” Carney said in a video message. “Those being honored tonight are perfect examples of the diverse, innovative, dedicated educators that are guiding Delaware.”

Rochester, Coons, and Carney also commended the evening’s STEM educators for their dedication, as well as the council’s ambitions for addressing and improving equity across the board of Delaware STEM as the symposium’s central theme.

The first place Delaware STEM Educator Awards were received by Smyrna Elementary school library media specialist Heather Fitzgerald, Millsboro Middle School science teacher Sarah Betlejewski, and Caesar Rodney High School computer science teacher Margaret Birch. Second and third place winners also included, respectively, William Penn High School agriculture teacher Karen Ferrucci and Sussex Technical High School science teacher Michele Thomas.

The symposium concluded with a final opportunity for its diverse range of attendees – from educators and students to business and industry leaders – to collaborate, socialize, and network.

“This organization is some of the best people I’ve met, that are pure to the soul of trying to help other human beings. And to me, that means a lot,” Vito Consiglio, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Ashland, said.

Consiglio prioritizes Ashland’s attendance, sponsorship, and support of the Delaware STEM Symposium, emphasizing the importance of the relationship between businesses and the community.

“For us, this is something we think has a lot of value,” Consiglio said. “It helps to feed the opportunities within our organization to get great candidates that live in the state of Delaware. So we want to help nourish that bed of people, and the only way to do that is to play an active role in the community.”

Jon Manon, President of DFSME and Associate Director of Mathematics at the University of Delaware’s School of Education, expressed his gratitude for the Delaware STEM Council on its ability to assemble a breadth of STEM leaders for a day of collaboration, and the inherent optimism of such a prospect.

“It’s the perfect nexus of educators, business and industry, and government coming together and, in very honest ways, saying, ‘How do we move forward and how do we reinvent this? How do we make it better?’” Manon said. “It’s sort of the perfect storm, if you will. I suppose other states have this mechanism but because of the size and connectedness of Delaware, this really augurs well for the future of STEM education in Delaware.”

Leaders in Delaware STEM will once again assemble for next year’s symposium, to be held in April 2020. For updates on future announcements for the upcoming date and location, further information and additional resources can be found at the official Delaware STEM Council website, https://delawarestem.org/.

To register for next year’s ceremony or to apply for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards, visit https://delawarestem.org/symposium-educator-awards/.

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Jan Castro is a junior at the University of Delaware, studying English 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 journalism, feature writing, and magazine writing.

Each year, the Delaware STEM Council recognizes teachers that demonstrate excellence, innovation, and passion in STEM education through the Delaware STEM Educator Awards. The award celebrates teachers from across the state, and from across the elementary, middle, and high school levels. These teachers undertake projects and initiatives both inside and outside of the classroom in service of creating a more comprehensive and robust STEM education system for our Delaware schools, championing academic collaboration and student engagement in the process. First place winners receive a one-time, unrestricted financial contribution as gratitude for their commitment to their students and to Delaware STEM.

 

In 2014 and 2015, a total of six educators received the first place Delaware STEM Educator Award. Among them were educators that pioneered a diversity of STEM initiatives in their respective schools, including programs in robotics, computer science, and engineering. Each educator shared their experiences, stories, challenges, and successes in their journeys in propelling STEM education.

 

Travis Bower, Principal at Southern Delaware School of the Arts

 

Travis Bower placed first in 2015 for the Delaware STEM Educator Award for primary education. During his time as a teacher at Selbyville Middle School, he introduced a robotics program for K-8 students, incorporating STEM concepts borrowed from his background in VEX robotics and as a leader for his local robotics camp. At the time, Bower’s robotics program was the only one at the middle school level in Sussex County.

 

Since winning the award in 2015, Bowers became assistant principal at Georgetown Middle School and, through the new opportunities available to him, was able to implement a robotics program across the entire school district for grades K-12. He is now the principal at Southern Delaware School of the Arts.

 

What importance do you find in robotics, STEM, and the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

“I see the value in teaching our students STEM skills all across the board. It’s really important for them to see what they will have the ability to work with when they graduate from high school and college and start their careers. It’s just amazing to watch, as they go through, just how much they do learn and how much they can use it in their life from day-to-day. So it really allowed me a chance to get the ball rolling for Sussex county on it.”

 

What did you do with the funds from the award?

“I was actually able to use the STEM money that we got from that award to start building programs in all of our Indian River schools. Because of the efforts of not just myself but others that we have in our district that really jumped on board with me, we actually have robotics in every one of our schools in Indian River.”

 

What are your recommendations for educators looking to get students engaged in STEM topics, or considering applying for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

“If there’s a will to make that change and to bring any STEM initiative, there are ways to get there. There’s a lot of people in the community that do support STEM and see the value in it. It’s just a matter of reaching out to say, ‘Here’s what I’m looking at and any help you can give, I’ll take.’”

 

Any final thoughts on Delaware STEM?

“As a whole I think the STEM Educator Awards are a great opportunity for educators. There are a lot of teachers that go above and beyond, not just STEM but in whatever area they focus on, that don’t often get the recognition they deserve.”

 

Ruth Fuchs, Librarian at McIlvaine Early Childhood Center

 

Ruth Fuchs placed first in 2014 for the Delaware STEM Award for primary education. At McIlvaine Early Childhood Center in Magnolia, Fuchs currently works with over 500 kindergarten students from across Kent County. As a librarian, her lesson plans involve creative ways of integrating STEM topics into learning opportunities for her kindergarteners. Fuchs continued to pursue her passion for STEM education after the 2014 award, putting some of the award earnings towards developing new lessons and incorporating new learning materials.

 

“I try to integrate, intertwine literacy, and the importance of reading, with science,” Fuchs said.

 

What are some of the creative lesson ideas you used in 2014 to introduce some of your kindergarteners to concepts in STEM?

“I always integrate my lessons with what’s happening in the school. And because I have a science background, my love for science is quite present in my lessons. In the fall, we actually went out and got leaves, and they used hand lenses and took a closer look. In the winter time, we were doing biography books, so I tied in a science lesson with [Wilson] “Snowflake” Bentley. So our students were able to use microscopes, and then I had them use Q-tips to build snowflakes. Based on what they had learned from the story and the little bit of research on snow, they built six-figured snowflakes, all different designs. So it was a flurry of learning.”

 

What was the experience of winning the Delaware STEM Educator Award like?

“Obviously I was flabbergasted by winning the award, when my name was announced. There’s quite a few creative teachers in the state of Delaware and I was obviously honored on behalf of my school district, Caesar Rodney, to win this award. And our district since then has encouraged STEM, so much so that we actually created a STEM class in McIlvaine.”

 

What did you do with the funds from the award?

“I have been able to purchase items for STEM. For example, last year I did a lesson on roller coasters. We integrated technologies, they used their Chromebooks to listen to a book about roller coasters. Then I was able to purchase marble towers, so then they had to, as a team, build a roller coaster, using the marbles as carts, from start to finish. So with some of the money I’ve been able to build and add new things for my library lessons. And also, obviously, books.”

 

What kinds of books did you incorporate into your lessons?

“This past year I did a whole unit on space, so I was able to purchase quite a few books on space to ignite children’s learning through looking through books and getting excited about stars and constellations. So some of the resources from the STEM award were used to purchase more books to put in the hands [of students], to encourage and inspire, and also materials so I can create different lessons. Because when you’re teaching 500 students, to have supplies, that’s a lot. So my lessons always have to be very simple.”

 

What are your recommendations for educators looking to get students engaged in STEM topics, or considering applying for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

“If your passion is of science, math, technology, engineering, then the sky’s the limit. To me, your students, their excitement, their ‘a-ha’ moment, fuels my passion to be as creative as I can in the lesson. I would encourage future STEM teachers. They could look out and explore, talk to other science teachers, math educators. There’s a lot of resources that you can increase your knowledge of, incorporating into your classroom lessons. But let the students fuel your ambitions.”

 

Brian Sherrer, Technology Education Teacher at Garnet Valley High School

 

At the time of winning the Delaware STEM Educator Award in 2014, Brian Sherrer was an engineering teacher at Brandywine High School, teaching Processes of Engineering & Design. Sherrer had teamed up with two other engineering teachers from Brandywine School District high schools, Brooks Twilley from Mount Pleasant and Jordan Estock from Concord, for an ambitious, district-wide STEM project and overhaul. With the leadership of Judson Wagner, the three designed and introduced a comprehensive STEM pathway which would ultimately become instituted across the school district. Their collective efforts would further be awarded the first place Delaware STEM Educator Award for secondary education in 2014.

 

What changes are you observing in the ways the students of today are learning?

“Education is an ever-evolving thing. It used to be mostly note-taking, test-taking, and score-driven. Now I feel like there is almost an application of what you’re learning, and that you should demonstrate that through your documentation or deliverables. In my opinion, as students embrace the digital world, social media, and the tools that are out there available for open-source, it’s only right to meet them in their environment instead of trying to hold onto what we’ve traditionally done in the past. And if you’re expecting the kids to take risks about their learning and the projects that they want to take on, I feel like the educators should be willing to take those risks and do, at the end of the day, what’s best for the kids.”

 

What did you do with the funds from the award?

“A lot of the time that we spent on actually developing the curriculum was on our own time after school. We didn’t share a collaborative period or anything like that. A lot of the heavy lifting was done outside the school day. So we basically took the award money and we divided it between the three of us. I just used mine to pay off some debt, haha. You know, it was kind of for the award winner. Somebody could say, ‘Hey, why didn’t you spend it on your classroom,’ but at the end of the day I felt it was earned.”

 

What are your recommendations for educators looking to get students engaged in STEM topics, or considering applying for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

“Fast-forwarding five or so years since our winning of the award, I would even say, in that short period of time, just going from what I’ve seen in Brandywine with blended learning, with using learning management systems like Schoology or Canvas – and now being at Garnet Valley. There’s really been a push towards gearing the programs to meet the ever-changing needs of the kids. Anyone that is applying or planning to apply in the future, I think that they should probably take that into consideration, just seeing how there’s a shift towards more of an online learning environment, just with all the tools on the internet available today.”

 

Any final thoughts on Delaware STEM?

“I think good programs and good teachers and the results that you see with students, I think all of that starts at the top. I felt as though we had great leadership through Judson Wagner. We would have never gotten to the point we were at if it weren’t his endless drive of, I don’t want to say perfection but it really was perfection. He wanted to make things the best that they could be, and I feel like Brooks and Jordan also shared that view. And I think that, just as a team, we really complimented each other well, we all shared similar skill sets but also brought our own lens to the whole project as well. Going back to that whole saying, ‘It takes a village,’ it certainly does.”

 

Brooks Twilley, Operations Manager at the University of Delaware’s Maker Gym

 

Brook Twilley was the second member of the first place-winning team in 2014, at the time representing Mount Pleasant High School as an engineering and technology teacher.

 

Twilley is currently an operations manager at the University of Delaware’s Maker Gym, an upcoming workshop space designed to provide access to cutting-edge technology, including 3D printers, wood shop equipment, scanners, CNC machines, laser cutters, virtual reality, and fabric design. The new facility is set to open later this fall and and its resources will be available to all university students and faculty.

 

What was the inspiration to overhaul and institute a new STEM program at Mount Pleasant High School, and Brandywine School District at large?

“When I got there and started assessing the condition of my space, and [I] realized that it was tired and in need of some rejuvenation and new direction. I worked with Judson Wagner, who, at the time was the co-chair of the Governor’s STEM Council. Pitched some ideas to Jud, and he was behind them but I didn’t want it to be just implementing those improvements at Mount, I felt like that was not sustainable. So I reached out to Jordan and Brian and said, ‘Let’s do this together.’ And let’s reinvent what engineering and technology education looks like at the high school level.”

 

What did you do with the funds from the award?

“It was definitely for personal use. At the time, all three of us were young teachers. We were all still struggling to start our families. I’m sure it probably went to the house. Ashland was generous. Ashland as a company, back when I was teaching middle school, they’d bring engineers in for days to just work with my kids. I think that’s amazing that Delaware has a company like that, that’s just willing to put their money where their mouth is, but also their people, I think, are more important.”

 

What are your recommendations for educators looking to get students engaged in STEM topics, or considering applying for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

“The most important thing is to not let your inexperience become a roadblock. In that, your kids need you to do this. The students need exposure to things, and without you to do it who will. If you see something, do something. Even if it means you being uncomfortable with it or you not knowing it. Learn with them. I think kids respond to that, and [they] recognize, ‘Hey, my teacher doesn’t need to be an expert but they’re willing and they’re taking on these uncomfortable things.’ And in addition to getting them exposed to something, you’re teaching them a skill, the resiliency of persisting through unfamiliar territory and challenges. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you go and interview the great teachers in any district, that’s the trait you’re going to find. In addition to their generosity, they’re just willing to dive into things they need to but might not know how to.”

 

Jordan Estock, Design and Engineering Teacher at Concord High School

 

Jordan Estock was the third member of the first place-winning team in 2014, representing Concord High School as an engineering teacher.

 

Most of Estock’s work now as a teacher at Concord involves real world problem-solving and application. His engineering students directly work with disabled and special needs students around the state to develop unique and creative engineering and design projects.

 

What was the process of creating and integrating this new STEM pathway for the district?

“We would meet on a monthly or weekly basis and just talk about our vision for what we wanted our classrooms to be and to take the steps necessary to align the three high schools. Prior to this team being put together, each high school was kind of doing whatever they wanted. Some were doing auto shop, some were doing graphics, some were doing wood shop. We moved away from that and unified all three high schools to be providing the same high quality engineering curriculum that we were writing and practicing all at the same time. We were putting it into action as we were writing it.”

 

What kind of projects are you and your students involved in now, at Concord High School?

“That award kind of jumpstarted us to where we are now, but I feel like we’re doing bigger and better things than we were five years ago. This year we’re partnered with Mary Campbell center, we’ve got people working for elementary schools in the district. We had a group come in from Engineers Without Borders for a project in Kenya, and we’re trying to help them with a rainwater collection system, so we’re all across the board.”

 

What did you do with the funds from the award?

“The three award winners split the earnings and all of us took our families out to Iron Hill immediately following the event to celebrate. The rest went to my mortgage.”

 

What are your recommendations for educators looking to get students engaged in STEM topics, or considering applying for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

“Get students comfortable using the design process. Teach fundamental skills in areas of CAD, electronics, and fabrication. Connect students to authentic real world problems in the community. Spend time making connections and finding problems in your community, these real world problems are the types of things that are valuable for our kids.”

Robert Gibson, Computer and Information Sciences Teacher at Sussex Central High School, Computer Science Adjunct Faculty at the University of Delaware

Robert Gibson won first place for the Delaware STEM Educator Award in secondary education in 2015. At Sussex Central High School, he designed and built a full, three-year, IT-based pathway in CTE, or Career & Technical Education. The pathway addressed a range of topics in IT, cyber security, and general hardware and software that are relevant to the computer science careers of such high demand today.

 

During that same year, Gibson also received a $10,000 grant from Code.org, the website and organization that created the Hour of Code, a one-hour, introduction to coding event that takes place with educators and students worldwide.

 

Can you talk more about your experiences as an educator in 2015, receiving the STEM award and the Code.org grant?

“The same year in 2015, I was also recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House as a national CTE innovator. And so I was able to, that same year, go to the White House and represent my program. And there’s a student group I’m an advisor for, a national group called the TSA, the Technology Students Association, and so I was able to represent the TSA and Sussex Central at the White House. So that was a good year for me. It was quite an honor.”

 

What did you do with the funds from the award?
“The grant money that I won through Code.org I was able to put back into the classroom in terms of resources for the students. So I actually used a lot of the STEM Educator Award to do some professional development stuff for me, in terms of some trainings, and I was able to put it back into what I needed to do to better myself as an educator.”

 

What are your recommendations for educators looking to get students engaged in STEM topics, or considering applying for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards?

“The great thing about it is that anybody can do it. So any of your students, whether they’re top athletes, whether they just want to sit around and do coding stuff, it’s something that anybody can do. Any race, any gender, any background. It’s something that’s universal. It truly prepares people for what comes next. Having a background in STEM, having a background in technology are all skills that will better prepare them to be successful.”

 

Each educator from this 2014 – 2015 award-winning cohort expressed common themes regarding what it means to be a leader and teacher in STEM today: a commitment and readiness to serve students, a resiliency to take on new challenges and experiences, and a generosity to actively devote the time and energy into furthering Delaware STEM education.

 

The Fifth Annual Delaware STEM Symposium will take place on October 8th at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington. The annual event will once again bring together leaders, experts, and educators at the forefront of STEM and STEM education to discuss contemporary challenges, opportunities, and future prospects. The examples set by these six previous award-winning educators embody an optimism for the future of STEM which the Delaware STEM Council will be celebrating once more in the 2019 Delaware STEM Educator Awards ceremony.

The Delaware STEM Council was created to oversee the evaluation and improvement of STEM education in Delaware schools. This includes through increasing engagement of students to pursue STEM careers, and to broaden the involvement of women and minorities in STEM fields. For Delaware students not pursuing STEM careers, the Council hopes to spread STEM literacy for all students, to provide skills that are valued in the growing market of STEM-oriented jobs. The Council also works to expand the STEM workforce in Delaware, and subsequently grow and attract STEM-related businesses to the state.

The 2019 symposium is sponsored by Ashland Inc., an American chemical company with global operations in over 100 countries. Thanks to the gracious support of Ashland, among other advocates and sponsors of Delaware STEM, the annual symposium is able to bring together the state’s vanguard of STEM for this day of collaboration.

To register for next year’s ceremony or to apply for the Delaware STEM Educator Awards, visit https://delawarestem.org/symposium-educator-awards/.

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Jan Castro is a junior at the University of Delaware, studying English 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 journalism, feature writing, and magazine writing.

Librarian Michelle Harris was the only elementary school educator to receive recognition at the 2015 STEM Educator Awards. She was presented with $500 to help start a STEM program for the library at Lulu Ross Elementary School, located in Milford, DE. The Delaware STEM Educator Award is given to a teacher that is passionate about STEM education, demonstrating exemplary innovation through their lessons and student interactions. In conjunction with the prize she was given by the STEM council, Harris was awarded with a second $500 accolade from Ashland Inc., which was used to purchase additional program materials. Although Harris did not place in the competition, the recognition and consolation compensation is an impressive accomplishment.

The other elementary school competitors did not have the same unique advantage as Harris. As the librarian, she interacts with students from each grade level. In an interview she explained what set her apart from the other educators.

“Probably the biggest thing that’s different is I have the opportunity to see all the students versus just one classroom of 30 kids. So, when you look at the fact that throughout the course of the year, 600 students, 600 plus students at this point, are having the opportunity to have different STEM lessons. It’s reaching every grade level, [every] background, girls, boys, the minorities; it touches base [with] everybody,” Harris said.

Harris worked as a librarian for 10 years in Smyrna, DE before transferring to her current position. For six weeks out of the school year she was able to work extensively with students from each grade. During that time they would work on a specific STEM unit. Instead of doing mini lessons, like the ones usually taught during the allotted 45 minute library sessions, Harris was able to spend more time on bigger projects, such as the third grade’s boat and bridge building lesson. Harris’ goal is to have a library program at Lulu Ross that can be as successful as the one she started while working in Smyrna. All of her winnings were spent on STEM focused materials to help jumpstart her aspiration.

Despite her obvious triumphs, Harris did not intend on becoming a STEM focused educator. In fact, before taking the library position at Smyrna, she was a language arts and social studies teacher. But, when her previous employers asked her to provide an additional course in the library, she looked to her husband for suggestions.

“We [said], ‘what else can we do with these kids?’ My husband teaches a STEM concentration. He’s the one that got me thinking about it,” Harris said.

Since the 2015 awards, Harris’ students, as well as her colleagues, are responding well to their new STEM project materials. The school’s art teacher, for example, has used the library’s new gravity kits with her classes. The exciting new items that were debuted last school year have some of the children already requesting specific lessons, Harris said.

“The best response I got from the [new] coding [lesson] was from a student. He took time to write me a note, and said that he did not really have any hobbies and he struggles to find things he likes, but he loves the coding. It was clear and simple ‘Thanks for introducing me to coding, I finally found something I like to do,’” Harris said.

Pleased with her students’ interest and new appreciation for STEM education, Harris hopes to continue to grow the budding program at Lulu Ross. With the new school year just beginning, she is excited to make learning fun for her kids. The STEM Educator’s award gave Mrs. Harris and the students at Lulu Ross elementary the materials and inspiration needed to learn and appreciate the importance of STEM education.

“I truly love what I teach. I really do,” Harris said.

 

My name is Mrs. Harris and I am the Librarian at Lulu Ross! I attended the University of Delaware and have spent the last ten years teaching in Smyrna. I enjoy traveling, fishing, visiting the beach, and playing with my two little girls. I also LOVE to READ. Books help me to escape to faraway places that otherwise I would never see.

Author:

Giavana Suraci is a senior strategic communications major at Temple University. She was born and raised in Philadelphia and plans to remain in the city. After graduation, she hopes to work for the Philadelphia Phillies in their public relations department.