The Presidential Award is an acknowledgement that our nation values science education. It’s a recognition that scientists and educators improve society. Personally, the Presidential Award is validation of all the hours I spend planning, giving feedback, working with students, and providing encouragement. It motivates me to be a mentor for students and other teachers, and honors my educator parents and other mentors that have shaped my career.

Matthew Woolley Highland, UT | 7-12, Science, 2021

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

Matthew “Matt” Woolley has been teaching for 22 years; over 20 of those years have been at Mountain Ridge Junior High School. During that time, he has taught eighth grade Integrated Science, ninth grade Biology, and ninth grade Earth and Space Science. He recently finished his term as a Clinical Faculty Associate at Brigham Young University, helping teach future life science teachers and supervising their student teaching. In the fall of 2023, he returned to Mountain Ridge Junior as a science teacher. Matt loves sharing his passion for science with students. He finds fulfillment in helping students use scientific skills to analyze problems, participate in dialogue, and better understand the natural world. Matt has served on Mountain Ridge’s Professional Development Committee, as a department chair, collaboration team leader, and the New Teacher Coordinator. He currently serves on the Alpine School District Secondary Science Leadership Team. Matt and a group of teachers wrote the state of Utah’s new Earth and Space Science Standards and created documents to help teachers adopt the new standards. He led a team in writing Utah’s Earth and Space Science open educational resource textbook. He currently serves on the leadership board for the Utah Science Teachers Association (UtSTA). In 2011, Matt was awarded the Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award by the UtSTA. In 2015, he was awarded the Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education. Matt earned an A.S. in biology education from Ricks College (now Brigham Young University-Idaho). He has a B.S. in biology composite teaching from Brigham Young University and an M.Ed. in educational technology from Utah State University. He holds endorsements in biology, earth science, and grades six through eight integrated science.

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