The Ohio Academy of Science selected 40 Ohio schools and 436 teachers to receive The Governor's Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM Education and Student Research for their accomplishments during the 2023-2024 school year last week and Bellbrook Middle School was once again among the winners
There are several criteria for the Thomas Edison Award for Excellence. The first is to conduct a local science fair with 12 or more students and have two or more of these students participate in the District Science Day. The Middle School accomplishes that on a yearly basis by holding the Science & Engineering Showcase, which will be held on Oct. 24 this year.
The second is that students must participate in at least one more youth science opportunity beyond the classroom. That is accomplished with the visit to the Challenger Space Center in downtown Dayton each year. There also is an annual STEAM night held at the middle school.
"It's an honor for Bellbrook Middle School to earn the prestigious Governor's Thomas Edison Award for excellence in STEM education for the 28th year," Middle School science teacher Jennifer Julian said. "We're very proud of our students and educators who have such success in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) programs at our middle school. This is quite a recognition for our school and our community."
Each school receives a special Governor's Award certificate, and each teacher will receive a complimentary membership to The Ohio Academy of Science.
The middle school teachers who were honored are: Kayla Guess, Jennifer Julian, Debi Schwieterman, Lynzee Allen, Shelby Herlihy, Emily Cline, Lauren Duhan, Crystal Lohn, Kyle Ferguson, Janice Cook and Allyson Geis.
"We're honored to receive this award again," Middle School science teacher Kayla Guess said. "We've had great STEM educators before us and we're happy to keep the tradition going!"
"We're looking forward to more fun STEAM events this school year with some of the highlights being our school science fair (Science and Engineering Showcase), STEAM night, community guest presenters in our classrooms, and enrichment field trips such as the Challenger Learning Center," Julian said.
First established in 1985, the Governor’s Thomas Edison Awards recognizes Ohio schools and teachers who stimulate scientific student research and technological design and extend experiential opportunities beyond traditional classroom activities.
“We are proud to honor these schools and teachers for preparing students for the future through application-based learning," Michael E. Woytek, the Academy’s Executive Director, said.
The Ohio Academy of Science initiated this educational partnership program in cooperation with the Office of Technology Investments and the Ohio Department of Development to recognize schools and teachers for excellence in STEM education and scientific student research.
“Today’s young scientists are the architects of tomorrow’s promising economic landscape, and we are so grateful for the invaluable role these schools and teachers play in supporting their pursuit of knowledge,” Lydia Mihalik, Director of the Department of Development, said.