The Presidential Award celebrates the commitment and dedication of all STEM educators and, most of all showcases the greatness of our students. As an educator, I aim to inspire my students to be innovators who generate new technologies and ideas while making real-world connections. It is an honor and privilege to have been nominated for this award, share my students' incredible potential, and become a part of the PAEMST family that inspires teachers and students to fulfill their dreams.

Nicole Bolton Mobile, AL | K-6, Science, 2022

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

Nicole Bolton has been an educator in the Mobile County Public School System for over 22 years. She is in her fourth year at Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies, where she currently teaches sixth through eighth grades in STEAM, Robotics, and Computer Science (CS). She previously taught third grade at Griggs Elementary for 10 years and served as the pre-kindergarten through fifth grade CS teacher for six years. Nicole began her teaching career at Florence Howard Elementary School where she taught fourth and fifth grades and served as the Science Lab Instructor for four years. Nicole is passionate in her commitment to maximizing individual student performance, inspiring student interest in technology, and instilling a sense of self-worth among all. She is passionate about teaching her students how to make cross-curricular connections to understand STEAM concepts through project-based learning. She serves as a district technology support teacher and sponsors the following STEAM electives: We Build it Better, Technology Team, Robotics Team, and Broadcasting Team. Nicole's commitment to lifelong learning is evident in her continuous participation in nationwide professional learning opportunities. She was awarded a Barringer Fellow at Monticello and is an alumnus of the George Washington Teacher Institute and the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. Nicole also received the Pathfinders Institute Scholarship in 2018 and 2020 for coding and robotics. She is an alumnus of the Teacher Space Academy and most recently served as a teacher mentor at Teacher Space Academy. Nicole has a B.S. in elementary education and an M.S. in educational media and technology from the University of South Alabama. In addition, Nicole holds certification in educational leadership.

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