It is an honor to be chosen for the Presidential Award. This award validates my passion and dedication to science education and the importance of reflection on my practice. I view this award as an opportunity to continue to guide other educators seeking to advance STEM. I believe that all students deserve the opportunity to explore their world with engaging lessons that teach them perseverance, teamwork, and a love of learning that will help them be successful in any future career.

Sharon Webb Cumming, GA | K-6, Science, 2022

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

Sharon “Denise” Webb has been an educator for 30 years with the last 10 years teaching STEM for kindergarten through fifth grades at Coal Mountain Elementary. She spent the prior 20 years teaching grades first, second, fourth, and sixth in Forsyth County, GA, and Hillsborough County, Fl. As the Discovery Lab teacher, Denise teaches each grade level, kindergarten through fifth grade. She supports the classroom teachers with hands-on science resources and runs a science fair, invention convention, greenhouse, and afterschool STEM clubs. Denise engages her students in hands-on, real-life experiences that encourage them to use creative and innovative thinking to solve problems. She invites local experts such as environmental educators and engineers to speak and model science and engineering practices. Denise has presented sessions on STEM in elementary at local, state, and national conferences. She co-authored a book called “Staging Science Nights” and trains teachers on how to facilitate Family Science Nights for their elementary schools, providing vertical support from high school age ambassadors to elementary learners. She also works with the University of North Georgia on training preservice teachers using 5E lesson planning and Three-Dimensional Learning. In 2021, she was named Elementary Science Teacher of the Year by the Georgia Science Teachers Association. Denise has a B.S. in early childhood/elementary education from the University of West Florida, an M.Ed. in early childhood/elementary education from Mercer University, and an Education Specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Piedmont University. She has endorsements in science, gifted, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), teacher leadership, and is a National Board Certified Teacher.

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