Nominations are now being accepted for the 2004 Governor’s Marine Science Teacher-of-the-Year Award. Nominees must place a special emphasis on educating students about the wonders of Delaware’s ocean and coastal resources.
The University of Delaware Sea Grant College Program, in partnership with the Office of the Governor, established the Governor’s Marine Science Teacher-of-the-Year Award in 2001. The goal of the award is to recognize, on an annual basis, an outstanding Delaware teacher who has a strong commitment to marine and aquatic science education.
The winning teacher will be selected based on creativity, innovation, quality, and impact of activities presented to students. A committee knowledgeable about the state science education standards, teacher performance, and impact in the classroom will review the nomination packages and determine the winner. The committee will include representatives from the Governor’s Office, UD, Delaware Department of Education, Delaware Teacher Center, and Delaware Teachers of Science.
The winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Marine Educators Association conference, which is the largest assembly of marine and aquatic science educators in the world. This year’s conference will be held July 18–22 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The winning teacher also will be recognized at Coast Day, the annual open house of the UD College of Marine Studies and Sea Grant College Program, and have the opportunity to share project ideas and teaching techniques through hands-on activities or exhibits. Additionally, a press release will be issued statewide to recognize the honoree. The teacher’s name and school also will be recorded on plaques that will reside in the Governor’s Office and at the UD College of Marine Studies.
Hepsi Zsoldos, an eighth-grade Earth science teacher at Talley Middle School in Wilmington, was the first recipient of the award in 2002. Last year, Janice Trainer, a third-grade teacher at Etta J. Wilson School in Newark, won the prestigious award.
“Many opportunities came my way as Delaware’s Marine Science Teacher of the Year,” says Trainer. “Going to the National Marine Educators Association conference led to an expansive list of educational resources that will enhance my teaching in the future.
“Marine education is another way to teach our state standards and should definitely have a place in our elementary curriculum,” Trainer adds. “It was amazing to see the high-interest level of children in kindergarten through sixth grade in the hands-on, marine-based experiments that I conducted at Coast Day.”
The official nomination form may be downloaded from the UD Sea Grant College Program’s Web site at www.ocean.udel.edu/seagrant. Completed nomination forms must be postmarked to the UD Sea Grant College Program no later than Monday, April 12, 2004.
For more information, please contact Dr. William Hall, marine education specialist for the UD Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service, at (302) 645-4253 or bhall@udel.edu.