To me, this award means an opportunity to expand STEM collaboration and advocacy efforts to elevate STEM thinking. I learn and grow the most from partnering with colleagues to share our strengths and fortify our struggles. When educators bring all of our strengths to the table, students directly benefit from improved planning, instruction, strategies, materials, access, programming, and passion. Little ones are born so curious, our job is to ensure this passion remains as they grow.

Shanna Marshall Coeur d'Alene, ID | K-6, Science, 2022

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

Shanna Marshall has been an educator at Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities for 18 years. She taught third and fourth grades for a total of 17 years and has been teaching fifth grade for the past year. Shanna’s passion for developing students into critical thinkers and considerate humans has been fueled by a belief in project-based learning, science, literacy integration, thinking strategies, and planning units that develop productive learner dispositions. These lead to creative projects with culminating presentations to authentic audiences like Race Car Day, Natural Features presentations, and partnering with local biologists for a deep dive into local raptors and raptor rescue efforts. In 2017, Shanna partnered with two former students to form the nonprofit Growing the Stem (GTS) to inspire a love of mathematics, science, STEM, and STEAM that results in career choices in those fields. GTS has grown to include programs in nearly every local district school and has an emphasis on developing youth leaders, equity in access to STEM programs, fun, hard work, and confidence. GTS supports local Math is Cool competitive mathematics teams, provides a peer-to-peer mathematics tutoring program called Mathletes, and STEM and STEAM Clubs, which are all led by local youth. She has been a district science lead teacher for years, collaborating with peers to improve science instruction. She is an active member of the National and State Science Teachers Associations. Shanna has an associate of science degree from North Idaho College, a B.S. in behavioral science from Charter Oak College, and a Masters of Instruction and Technology Integration from Drexel University. She holds a Standard Idaho Education Credential in all subjects kindergarten through eighth grade.

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