The Northrop Grumman Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association announced the selection of 27 middle school science, technology, and engineering teachers as 2017-18 Teacher Fellows in the Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy.
One of the teachers is local to the Antelope Valley — Lisa Jeanene Mitchell, David G. Millen Middle School, Palmdale, Calif.
Selected from school districts in Northrop Grumman communities across the country, the Teacher Fellows will participate in a variety of science, technology, and engineering-related activities and professional learning opportunities.
“We are excited to welcome the newest 27 Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy Fellows into the program,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of global corporate responsibility, and president, the Northrop Grumman Foundation. “Through this year-long program, which includes three weeks connecting with Northrop Grumman employees at our facilities, we are helping to bridge the connection between critical workforce skills and what they do in the classroom each and every day to support their students.”
“Each of these Teacher Fellows have a strong desire to make STEM learning more accessible, relevant, and exciting for their students,” said NSTA Executive Director Dr. David Evans. “Through the Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy these educators will receive support, resources, and a professional community to help them enrich their teaching and feel more confident and passionate about the critical work they do in inspiring today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leading STEM professionals.”
The Teacher Fellows were selected on the basis of several criteria, including displaying a strong desire to advance STEM education and apply real-world applications in the classroom. During their fellowship, recipients will:
* Attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Atlanta, March 15-18, 2018, where they will engage in the latest instructional practices related to the Next Generation Science Standards;
* Participate in a five-day workshop at a Northrop Grumman facility during the summer of 2018 in Los Angeles, California, where they will discuss teaching strategies for integrating effective and authentic engineering design practices in their classroom;
* Participate in an immersive, 80-hour externship at a local Northrop Grumman facility during the summer of 2018 where they will be partnered with an engineer/technologist to observe and experience critical workforce skills in action;
* Develop lesson(s)/units that integrate an authentic and real-world application linked to their externship experiences; and
* Develop tools/resources to share with colleagues to help build capacity for engineering and technology instruction within their schools and districts.
The Teacher Fellows will also receive a comprehensive NSTA membership package and an opportunity to participate in a variety of web-based professional learning activities, including a specially designated online learning community.
Launched in 2016, the Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy was created to help enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence in science, technology, and engineering, while increasing teacher understanding about the skills needed for a scientifically literate workforce.
The teachers selected are:
* Carrie Lynn Birdsong, Fossil Hill Middle School, Fort Worth, Texas
* Mary Brennan, Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School, Colorado Springs, Colo.
* Britain Lee Bombard Bulicki, Lincoln Middle Schoo, Oceanside, Calif.
* Toneka Bussey, Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy, Atlanta, Ga.
* Teresa Cobble, Lovinggood Middle School, Powder Springs, Ga.
* Shontell Lavine Davis, Rusheon Middle School, Bossier City, La.
* Dana Franklin, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Merritt Island, Fla.
* Gilberto Jose Garcia, Christopher Dena Elementary School, Los Angeles, Calif.
* Annette Glaser, Orange Hunt Elementary School, Springfield, Va.
* Erin Glennon, Osceola Elementary School, St. Augustine, Fla.
* Samuel Andrew Hardwicke, Turner School, Turner, Australia
* Timothy Allen Jolliff, Richardson PREP HI Middle School, San Bernardino, Calif.
* Garrett Kaplan, Hermosa Valley School, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
* Jodi Lee Lawson-Santos, Garran Primary School, Garran, Australia
* Sharon Lennstrom, Plum Grove Junior High School, Rolling Meadows, Ill.
* Amanda Elizabeth Mason, Edward J. Richardson Middle School, Torrance, Calif.
* Jodi Renee Matro, Alfred Bernhard Nobel Charter Middle School and Math/Science/Technology Magnet Center, Northridge, Calif.
* Sharon McGarry, Syracuse Junior High School, Syracuse, Utah
* Lisa Jeanene Mitchell, David G. Millen Middle School, Palmdale, Calif.
* Kristen Park, Stevensville Middle School, Stevensville, Md.
* Morgen Perez, Central School, Huntsville, Ala.
* Meera Ramchandran, Joseph Weller Elementary School, Milpitas, Calif.
* Catherine Rhee, J.H.S. 291 Roland Hayes, Brooklyn, N.Y.
* Christyn Carole Saracino, New Middle School Pathway, Los Angeles, Calif.
* Corydon Lester Strawser, Southwest Middle School, Orlando, Fla.
* Tina Totora, Mountain Gap P-8, Huntsville, Ala.
* Katherine Susan Wade von Berg, San Elijo Middle School, San Marcos, Calif.
Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation are committed to expanding and enhancing the pipeline of diverse, talented STEM students globally. They provide funding to sustainable STEM programs that span from preschool to high school and through collegiate levels, with a major emphasis on middle school students and teachers. In 2016, the Northrop Grumman Foundation continued outreach efforts by contributing $19.2 million to diverse STEM-related groups such as the Air Force Association (CyberPatriot),EarthEcho International, the REC Foundation (VEX Robotics), NSTA and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.