Cheryl Silcox White Mountain, AK | K-6, Science, 2008

Cheryl Silcox Portrait Photo

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Cheryl Silcox teaches at the Winterberry Charter Waldorf School in the Anchorage School District. At the time of the award, she taught first and second grade at White Mountain Elementary School in the Bering Strait School District, after having taught for 16 years in remote Alaska. Known as a teacher who makes science happen for her students, Mrs. Silcox employs various ways of communicating science concepts and processes. As a Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment teacher, she guides students in collecting weather data and submitting the data to a Web site for worldwide use by scientists and students. Always seeking ways to reach her Native students, she led a project in which students made a three-dimensional topographic map of the region and invited Native Elders to relate it to environmental and climate changes. Mrs. Silcox has participated in developing high-quality instructional standards. Her contributions include both primary standards and those appropriate for Native students in rural Alaska. A colleague noted Mrs. Silcox's commitment to professional development and said that she contributes to other teachers' development as well. She has received minigrants from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Alaska State Literacy Association. Mrs. Silcox is a board member of the Alaska Science Teachers Association, is the National Science Teachers Association Key Leader for Building a Presence for Science, and has served on state science standards committees. Mrs. Silcox has an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has taken coursework beyond her master's degree. She is certified in elementary education.

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