There are so many wonderful educators that often do not receive the recognition they deserve. This award provides validation that there are great things happening in the classroom that have not gone unnoticed. It honors not only me, but my students, their families, and my colleagues. I want to continue to grow as an educator and to advocate for a profession that I am honored to belong to. I have grown through the Presidential Award process, and this journey is one I will forever be grateful for.

Autumn Palmer Carthage, MO | 7-12, Science, 2021

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

Autumn Palmer has been a 10th-12th grade chemistry teacher at Carthage High School for the past 26 years. As a certified enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS)/Mathematics Engineering, Technology and Science (METS) instructor, Autumn has taught Honors, Advanced Placement, and Dual Credit Chemistry. She seeks new ways of engaging students and utilizes Virtual Reality technology to help them gain a deeper understanding into the world of chemistry. Autumn believes teaching within a laboratory setting empowers students in a way that some have never experienced. She assists with the school's Science Olympiad team and has coached the Stream Team, which was responsible for reporting their findings to the state Department of Natural Resources. Her students participate in the schoolwide murder mystery, for which she is the architect. By playing the role of forensic scientists, her students conduct toxicology and serology testing and work with students in other disciplines to help process a crime scene, analyze the evidence, make an arrest, and present their findings in front of a real judge. Autumn has presented at local, state, and national levels, including workshops such as “Mystery and Mayhem: An Interdisciplinary Activity and Making Learning come to Life with Augmented and Virtual Realities.” She loves learning from educators and hopes to continue to motivate teachers within the profession. Autumn has been recognized as a Regional Teacher of the Year for the state of Missouri and a Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) Southwest Region Secondary Educator of the Year. Autumn received a B.A. in chemistry from Missouri Southern State University and her M.S. in education with an emphasis in chemistry from Pittsburg State University.

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