The Presidential Award is a profound honor that recognizes my passion and dedication as a mathematics educator. It serves as a testament to the transformative power of relentless effort and a steadfast love for mathematics. I share this honor with my family, peers, and mentors, whose guidance and encouragement have been instrumental in shaping my career. This award is a career milestone that reaffirms my commitment to excellence in education and empowering future generations of mathematicians.

Jacqueline Sheffield Fort Walton Beach, FL | 7-12, Mathematics, 2023

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

Jacqueline Gentilozzi Sheffield has taught mathematics for 27 years. She has been a mathematics teacher, specifically Algebra 2 Honors and Advanced Placement Statistics, at Fort Walton Beach High School for the past 23 years, teaching students across all grade levels. She previously taught mathematics at Davidson Middle School. Jacqueline has embraced her role as a teacher and leader at Fort Walton Beach High School by serving as its Mathematics Department Chair, as well as a supervising teacher and cohort leader for the past 18 years. She has led numerous workshops focused on various topics, including hands-on statistics activities, best practices, and vertical alignment. Jacqueline has also severed on various State of Florida committees creating course descriptions, validating End of Course Exam rubrics, and reviewing items for End of Course exams. Jacqueline has been recognized as a Teacher of the Year at the school level and has been a Teacher of the Year finalist at the county level. In addition, she has repeatedly been honored by the HSU Educational Foundation as a TEAMS I Excellence in STEM Teaching winner and has received many grants. Jacqueline’s most recent grants were aimed at creating equity in the classroom to support underrepresented ethnic groups and making statistics come to life through hands-on classroom activities. Jacqueline earned a B.S in education and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Florida. She is a member of the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics and an Advanced Placement Statistics reader for the College Board. Jacqueline has been a National Board Certified teacher since 2005. She is Florida certified in kindergarten through sixth grade, mathematics fifth through ninth grade, and mathematics 6-12.

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