The award provided the opportunity to meet many other biology teachers in person and by mail. It helped me realize my responsibilities for sharing teaching ideas with other biology teachers and I did this often. I have drafted a potential book, "The Biology Teacher's Bag of Tricks." Winning also convinced me to provide encouragement and support for science and mathematics colleagues in my school district to apply for a Presidential Award. Four of my wonderful colleagues have received the award.
Richard “Dick” Lord taught science for 43 years, one of chemistry and 42 of biology, at Presque Isle High School, educating students at a variety of age and academic levels, including adults. Creating his own original course materials allowed him to develop activities to capture student interest and provide assessments offering an array of choices. By encouraging students to study three years of biology, Dick was able to present specialized areas such as human genetics, microbiology, forensic science, and marine biology (which included a three-day field trip to the Maine coast to explore intertidal ecology). Dick also taught biology for the nursing program of Northern Maine Technical College and was the science teacher in the Upward Bound summer program of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. A presenter of numerous teacher workshops from local to national, Dick shared a large variety of ideas for enhancing biology classes, including, among others, challenge and inquiry, audio-visual, demonstrations, props, models, analogies, mnemonics, and tips, tricks, and techniques that add spice and seasoning to a biology class. After submitting many of his ideas into a variety of contests and grant competitions, Dick was privileged to receive 12 national awards in addition to his Presidential Award. Dick has a B.S. in bacteriology and an M.Ed. in secondary school science from the University of Maine. As a secondary school teacher he was certified in life science.
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