Receiving the Presidential Award means the world to me. I love teaching elementary science and getting my hands dirty while the students explore and engage. It is invigorating to have that passion acknowledged. Winning this award allows me to find other teachers that share my passion for science and find new ways to engage my students in the classroom.

Hillary McWhorter Lexington, KY | K-6, Science, 2022

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

Hillary McWhorter has been an educator for 21 years and has spent 13 of those years teaching science lab to kindergarten through fifth grade students at Glendover Elementary School, where she currently teaches second grade. She previously taught at Tates Creek Elementary School. Hillary's love for science education began while teaching departmentalized fourth grade at Tates Creek. She began attending district science professional developments provided by Fayette County Public Schools, Kentucky Science Teacher Association, and outside sources such as the Lexington Living Arts and Science Center. As her passion for science education grew, she moved to Glendover's science lab where she tried new teaching strategies and assessment methods. She then began hosting professional learning communities (PLC) for other teachers around Fayette County and Kentucky and worked with the state to create Through Course Tasks (TCT) for Kentucky classroom teachers to assess their students. Hillary headed the schools' science fairs at both Tates Creek and Glendover. She organized a group of community volunteers and parents to run a schoolwide “Science Fun Day”. Hillary was also charged with gathering activities and coordinating teacher volunteers for a Science Family Night each year. Hillary worked as a local director of Camp Invention for 11 years. Campers worked with "up-cycleables" and old electronics to create solutions to various engineering problems, such as creating a "duck-chucker" to get their rubber duckies to the other side of the map. Hillary has a B.A. in elementary education from Hanover College and an M.A. in elementary education from Georgetown College. She is certified in elementary education.

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