Elementary science teachers earn summer academy awards

Five fifth-grade science teachers in Spring Branch ISD have been chosen to take part this summer in the Mickelson Exxon Mobil Teachers Academy, which will be held June 15-20 in The Woodlands.

In separate but related news, a Thornwood Elementary School science teacher who attended the ExxonMobil Teachers Academy in the past has been selected for the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy program in Huntsville, Ala.

The Mickelson Exxon Mobil Teachers Academy (MEMTA) is a partnership with a professional golfer, Phil Mickelson, and his wife, Amy, and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Math Solutions.

The Academy supports inquiry-based learning and professional development. The residential Academy will be held at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center.

A separate teacher development academy is held each summer in New Jersey, too. SBISD fifth-grade teachers selected for this program include:

• Eduardo Gallegos, Cedar Brook Elementary
• Jacqueline Gallegos, Treasure Forest Elementary
• Francisco Gonzalez, Edgewood Elementary
• Joanne Lim, Westwood Elementary
• Kimberly Muske, Shadow Oaks Elementary

MEMTA is designed for teachers in grades three through five, and is dedicated to increasing student learning and appreciation for math and science by:

• enhancing teacher mathematics and science content knowledge;
• demonstrating the interrelationships between scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving;
• helping teachers use mathematics tools to build understanding and connections to science concepts; and
• modeling so-called “best practices” in teaching and learning for the classroom.

In related science news, Thornwood Elementary’s Mario Romero, a recent SBISD Teacher of the Year and ExxonMobil Teacher Academy participant, has been selected to take part in the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy program, also in June, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The Space Academy will be held June 12-16. It will include 45 hours of intensive classroom, laboratory and training time. Romero’s appointment will include airfare, lodging and all meals while in Huntsville. Elementary science instruction and training opportunities in SBISD are coordinated by Science i-Coach Donald Burken.