The Presidential Award celebrates not only educators but also honors those that helped shape their craft. My journey began with my parents who instilled in me the value of education, which was then ignited by my second grade teacher who pushed me to think outside the box, and continues now with my mentors and peers in Howard County. It truly takes a village and I am evidence of that.

Kate Sandoval Savage, MD | K-6, Mathematics, 2022

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

Kate Sandoval has worked in the Howard County Public School System for nine years. She is currently serving as an elementary STEM specialist at Bollman Bridge Elementary School, where she previously taught all subjects of fourth grade. Kate also has experience teaching second and third grade. In the classroom, Kate highlights a growth mindset where mistakes are valued. Students are encouraged to take risks by engaging in productive struggle, sharing strategies, and participating in mathematical discourse. Kate creates lessons with real-world applications to further motivate students. Most recently, Kate led her class through an environmental, problem-based task, to examine the school’s use of single-use water bottles. Using a smart water fountain, students tracked the number of bottles saved, researched recycling impacts, and presented the information to other classrooms around the school. Outside of the classroom, Kate has served as Instructional Team Leader, Math Content Leader, and Elementary Science Teacher Leader. These roles have provided her with opportunities to write and present curriculum during her tenure in the county. Kate has also played an active role in Bollman Bridge’s School Improvement Plan. After a lack of basic mathematics fact retention, Kate led her school community through an Intermediate Family Involvement Night where teachers shared multiplication and division expectations for each grade level, provided fact practice games, and gave tips and tricks for maximizing small moments. Kate earned a B.F.A., magna cum laude, in advertising design from Savannah College of Art and Design and an M.A.T. in elementary education from Loyola University Maryland. She is certified in first through sixth grade elementary education.

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