Stan Mesina

Waipahu, HI | K-6, Science, 2014

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

As a teacher my goal has always been to prepare students to be educated and informed citizens. Through science and math the students will become critical thinkers and problem-solvers that will prepare them to be self-directed learners in a global society. In a democracy, a citizen’s duty is to make informed decisions.

What has been the most transformative moment that affirmed your impact on STEM education?

In my years as a teacher, the most transformative feeling is the smile and excitement that students have in the process of doing STEM. It transcends the old ways of teaching as being one way learning from teacher to student. STEM has made the process of learning meaningful to students.

Using your platform as a Presidential Awardee, how do you hope to advance our nation in STEM?

I always find ways to help with STEM teaching by helping new teachers explore new techniques to understand NGSS by knowing about how the three dimensions work together. For example, it’s not just memorizing parts of a cell but to understand how the parts form a system or explain how a model of a cell shows how it works. All teachers should know about how NGSS works and is implemented. As a retiree, I want to keep STEM a popular and viable subject at my former school.

Biography

I taught for 29 years at August Ahrens Elementary School. I retired in October 2020. I taught STEAM to students from kindergarten through sixth grade. I also taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grade gifted and talented students. My classes usually had hands-on activities that filled the air with excitement. The students worked in engineering teams to create ways to solve problems using science and mathematics as tools. I coached the school’s robotic team — including VEX-IQ, FIRST LEGO League, ROBOFEST, and SeaPerch. Other team challenges include Hawaii State Science Olympiad and the August Ahrens Elementary Science Bowl. I was awarded the Leeward Teacher of the Year in 1999. I applied for and received grants for the school totaling over $10,000. My education includes B.A. in communications and a professional diploma in education at the University of Hawai'i. I hope to continue helping other teachers to enjoy teaching science.

High-resolution version of the official portrait photograph
Awardee holding Presidential certificate between Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director, Dr. John P. Holdren, and Assistant Director, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation, Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy.
High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

The views expressed in awardee profiles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or the PAEMST program.