The honor of the Presidential Award comes with a duality in meaning for me. On one hand, its meaning is one of affirmation of the positive impact I have had on student success. On the other hand, it is as a strong motivator to continue to garner innovative methods to ensure all students feel confident in their abilities to engage in science.

Jennifer Panczyszyn Las Vegas, NV | K-6, Science, 2022

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

Jennifer Panczyszyn has taught sixth grade science at Nevada Learning Academy for three years. She spent the previous five years working as a project facilitator in the K-12 science department at the Clark County School District Curriculum and Professional Development Division Office. Prior to that, she spent two years teaching science at K.O. Knudson Creative Academy of Arts and Technology and four years at Lawrence Junior High School. Jennifer incorporates local phenomenon and problem-driven learning into her science curriculum. Recently, her students had the opportunity to investigate the decrease in water levels in Lake Mead over the past 40 years. Student agency and experiences, in the form of student questions and ideas for investigations, drove the collaborative learning that took place related to this phenomenon. Her passion for science education has led to many leadership experiences at the local, state, and national levels. Jennifer has participated in district cadres and served as a teacher leader presenting professional learning for teachers. She has worked with the Nevada Department of Education regarding standardized science tests, served on the STEM Programs Review Committee, and as part of the Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative. Jennifer served on the board of the Nevada State Science Teachers Association as the Region I Representative from 2018 to 2022. She is privileged to have attended the Convocation on Enhancing Teachers’ Voices in K-12 Engineering Education in 2016. She is currently a science content reviewer for EdReports. Jennifer holds a B.S. in biological science and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is certified in 6-12 biological science and is a National Board Certified Teacher.

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