Nominations for the 2006 Governor’s Marine Science Teacher-of-the-Year Award are now being accepted. Nominees must be a Delaware teacher who places a special emphasis on educating students about the wonders of Delaware’s ocean and coastal resources.
The 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 and innovation of teaching methods, quality of instruction, 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 the Delaware Teachers of Science.
The winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to either the National Marine Educators Association’s annual conference or to the National Science Education Teachers Association’s annual convention. The National Marine Educators Association’s conference, which is the largest assembly of marine and aquatic science educators in the world, will be held in New York City this summer. The National Science Education Teachers Association’s convention will be held in St. Louis in March 2007.
The winning teacher also will be recognized at Coast Day, the annual open house of the UD College of Marine Studies and Delaware Sea Grant, 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, Todd Fritchman, a high school science teacher at Indian River High School in Dagsboro, won the prestigious award.
“The Governor’s Marine Science Teacher-of-the-Year award is a conduit that provides an opportunity for an educator to demonstrate innovative teaching methods,” says Fritchman. “This is an opportunity for those teachers that have diverse, inquiry-based, hands-on, and active curriculum sets relevant to marine and aquatic education to demonstrate your efforts. The rewards are outstanding!”
The official nomination form may be downloaded from the Web site for Delaware Sea Grant at www.ocean.udel.edu/seagrant. Completed nomination forms must be postmarked no later than Monday, April 10, 2006.
For more information, please contact William Hall, marine education specialist for the Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service, at (302) 645-4253 or bhall@udel.edu.