To me, the Presidential Award shows our nation’s commitment to developing thoughtful, confident, and curious students of mathematics and science. Learning about the work of my co-nominees inspires me and shows me that in every corner of the U.S. teachers are dedicated to helping students see mathematics and science as an accessible, elegant, and crucial way to understand and improve our world. Moving forward, this award is a challenge for us to work to make STEM inclusive and welcoming for all!

Geraldine Maskelony Arlington, VA | 7-12, Mathematics, 2021

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

Geraldine “Gerri” Maskelony has taught mathematics at the Arlington Career Center for the last 10 years and has been an educator since 2007. Previously, Gerri taught instrumental music as an itinerant teacher at several Virginia public and private schools. She is a former statistician and operations researcher. Gerri currently teaches 9th-12th grade students in dual-enrolled statistics and serves as the school’s STEM and Project-Based Learning Coordinator. For seven years, she taught Prealgebra through Algebra II for English learners, and has served as an instructional coach and mentor. She also teaches statistics for Northern Virginia Community College. In her statistics courses, Gerri strives to create opportunities for students to apply their growing statistical skills to research questions and datasets each student finds engaging, on topics ranging from environmental conservation to game design. Creative, project-based learning allows her students to learn statistical concepts in a meaningful way and helps them see how to use data science to make the world a better place. Gerri has presented statewide webinars through the Virginia Department of Education on engaging virtual mathematics instruction and has also presented at state and local conferences. She has received numerous professional development grants, including from NASA and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Gerri has a B.A. in philosophy and French from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in applied statistics from George Mason University, and an M.Mus. in music from Anderson University. She is certified in mathematics (6-12), instrumental and vocal music (K-12), English as a Second Language (K-12), and French. She is a National Board Certified teacher in secondary mathematics.

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