Alumna is finalist for nation’s highest math, science teaching honor

A two-time UW-Green Bay alumna is among five finalists for a prestigious national teaching award, the state Department of Public Instruction announced Tuesday (July 10). Sheila Kohl, a sixth-grade teacher at West De Pere Middle School, is among those vying for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for math and science teachers.

Kohl earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from UW-Green Bay in 1996, and also is a 2005 Applied Leadership for Teaching and Learning master’s graduate. In 2010, she earned the Herb Kohl Education Foundation Award, given to teachers who demonstrate consistent academic excellence, leadership and motivation.

Winners of the math and science awards receive $10,000, a citation signed by the president and an invitation to attend related events in Washington, D.C., according to the DPI. A committee organized by the National Science Foundation will judge the contest, and can select one teacher in math and one in science from each state to receive the accolade.

“Congratulations to these five educators for their dedication to teaching children and improving their profession,” state Superintendent Tony Evers said in a statement. “As finalists for this national award, they represent the outstanding teachers who serve in our classrooms each school day.”

For more on the awards, click here.