Five teachers were recently recognized by the Orange County Engineering Council with Outstanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Service and Program Awards.
The awards were bestowed at the annual banquet sponsored by the council, whose mission is to enhance the public image of engineers and scientists, and promote the interaction of professional societies, engineering/scientific corporations, and universities in Orange County.
Keynote speaker at the event was Dr. Leon Alkalai of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, whose topic was “The Present and the Future of Robotic Space Exploration.”
The AUHSD honorees were as follows:
Jamie Clapper—Mrs. Clapper has been instrumental in bringing STEM courses to South Junior High School. She is one of four teachers who worked to create four new STEM courses: forensics, marine biology, environmental science, and food science. This year, Mrs. Clapper taught an environmental science course for the first time on a junior high campus in the Anaheim Union High School District.
As a school with a brand new set of STEM courses, South’s challenge has been creating deeper learning with limited funds and resources. Mrs. Clapper quickly responded to the challenge by researching resources.
The environmental science course is amazing, filled with hands-on activities, project-based learning, and opportunities for students to build 21st Century skills and become better prepared for college and careers.
Jerry Cates—Mr. Cates is the Building Industry Technology Academy (BITA) teacher at Western High School, and serves on the board of the Bacchus Doc-in-a-Box Foundation. Through a partnership with the Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club, the BITA students have been involved in creating engineering-based humanitarian projects that impact lives in Orange County and around the world.
In the Doc-in-a-Box project, BITA students converted a 20-ft shipping container into a sustainable, remote medical clinic. This clinic, called the Holistic Health Center, is now located in Nkandla, South Africa, and provides health screening, HIV counseling and testing, dental services, vision screening, and pregnancy services to the community.
Additionally, the BITA students designed and built a trailer that serves as a mobile dental clinic for communities in Southern California and Baja Mexico. In 2014, the dental clinic will provide over $1 million of free services to underserved children. It is estimated that almost one-quarter of children in California have never visited the dentist.
Current projects being worked on by Mr. Cates and his BITA students include a “vision box” that will provide mobile vision screening and services to underserved communities in Southern California and Mexico, and a project to create ambulance trailers for Africa that will be less than one-tenth the cost of a traditional ambulance, and will not require the extensive maintenance costs of a motorized vehicle. Jerry Cates is an example of the transformative effect a dedicated teacher can have on both his students and community.
Ron Ponce—This award recognizes the role Ron Ponce has played in strengthening STEM education in north Orange County. Over the past 14 years, Mr. Ponce, a teacher in the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program, has provided engineering education to students at Western and Anaheim high schools. Students learn 3D CAD design and manual and digital fabrication techniques.
Mr. Ponce and his students are also involved in a number of science and engineering competitions held in Orange County. At the UCI Energy Invitational, his Anaheim High School team built an electric racecar designed to complete as many laps as possible within one hour, using only $1 worth of energy.
Students in Mr. Ponce’s class are also active participants each year in the OC Youth Expo STEM Showcase where they compete in robotics contests and engineering showcases. This year, the students will also be taking part in the OC Maker Challenge where they create products of their own design using 3D printers. Mr. Ponce is dedicated to the belief that engineering and manufacturing education is critical to the future of Orange County.
Beth Harper—Ms. Harper is a wonderful mathematics teacher and one of our finest instructors at Loara High School—in 2012, she was named campus Teacher of the Year. Her students learn to love mathematics, the school’s honors and advanced placement mathematics courses continue to grow and develop, and increasing numbers of Loara graduates confidently enroll in mathematics coursework at the college level.
Ms. Harper’s efforts on behalf of Loara High School have extended far beyond her own classroom. She has consistently sought ways to improve the efficacy of the school, including designing and delivering critical staff development; working on curriculum development; serving as the accreditation coordinator; participating as a member of the instructional leadership team; spearheading the Open Library Tutorial Program; leading the development of campus Professional Learning Communities; and providing support for teachers’ ongoing analysis and use of data to inform instruction.
Michael Manning—The Hour of Code at Cypress High School, during which 2,000 students participated in writing computer code during Computer Science Week, was an extraordinary success, based on the vision of Michael Manning and his fellow teachers. They were collectively committed to providing all students with the opportunity to broaden their experiences and create interest in future STEM careers.
The Hour of Code was a first-ever international effort to have students around the globe write computer-programming codes for one hour in an effort to spark interest in the rapidly growing field. Five million students worldwide participated in the event, including nearly the entire student body at Cypress High School, thanks to the encouragement and selfless planning of Mr. Manning.
Contributing Source: Anaheim Union High School District