Renee Haines

Martinsburg, WV | 7-12, Science, 2021

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

For me, I have particularly enjoyed my work with the Traveling Science Show. Students that I worked with in kindergarten through the Traveling Science Show are now in my high school classes. When they remember our experiments or they find themselves loving science today, I am motivated to continue my STEM outreach.

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

I am reminded of my impact on STEM education each year when previous students contact me with updates. My favorite part of my profession is passing along my love for biology (and science in general) to my students. When they email me their first published paper, when they send me messages letting me know they've been accepted to medical school, when they let me know they found college easy because of my classes, that's when I know I've made a difference. Over the course of my career, nothing has mattered more than the words of my students confirming their successes and that I got to be a part of their journey.

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

I hope to work with life science organizations to help develop exciting, relevant lessons that allow our students to learn more, be more, and do more for our world. A particular passion of mine is making sure my students feel prepared to be adults making decisions with a firm background in the life sciences. These students will one day be our leaders, and scientific literacy is immensely important to the success of our nation.

Biography

Renee Haines has been teaching for 18 years in a high school setting. Her expertise is in the life sciences, and she has taught Biology Honors, Advanced Placement Biology, Dual Enrollment Biology through West Virginia University, and Microbiology for grades 10-12. Renee loves to collaborate with local organizations to expose students to field learning. In the local watershed, students conduct water quality testing on streams and creeks that feed our local water supply. As students explore their world, Renee wants to empower a lifetime of independent learning. With this in mind, students participate in Genius Hour where they design semester-long projects to enhance research, writing, and presentation skills. Engaging students to love science is her passion, demonstrated through her development of the Traveling Science Show with Science National Honor Society students as they visit local kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms to conduct hands-on experiments. The Traveling Science Show now reaches 1,500 to 2,000 students a year. When COVID restricted traveling for shows, Renee initiated and produced a Virtual STEM Day to reach students at home. On a district Curriculum Instructional Leadership Team, Renee helped train colleagues on a literacy model implemented districtwide. In collaboration with her English colleagues, Renee developed cross-curricular research projects, and they presented their successes at the Literacy Leaders conference hosted by Shepherd University. Renee earned a B.S. in biology and an M.A. in secondary education, both from West Virginia University. She is certified in biology and general sciences and holds a National Board certification in adolescent and young adulthood sciences for biology.

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.