May 2, 2014
The Texas
Medical Association (TMA) named six
Texas science teachers winners of the 2014 TMA Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards for Excellence in Science
Teaching. Three first-place prizes were awarded today at TexMed, the association’s annual conference, in Fort Worth. Three second-place awards
will be presented in upcoming local ceremonies. These educators help create tomorrow’s
physicians by inspiring students in the field of science.
First-Place Winners:
Rebecca Williams
of
Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Denton, Betty McCulloch of Clear Creek Intermediate School in League
City,
and Janet Jones of Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas are this year’s elementary, middle, and high school
winners. (See winner bios below.) TMA awards each top
recipient a $5,000 cash prize, and their
school receives a $2,000 resource grant toward its
science programs.
Second-Place Winners:
Second-place
winners are Nicole Grygar of Woodway Elementary in Woodway, Katie Crysup-Sikes of Seashore Middle Academy in Corpus Christi, and Anna Loonam of
Bellaire High School in Bellaire. This
is the second year Ms. Loonam won second place in the high school category. Second-place
winners’ schools each receive a $500 resource grant to enhance science
classroom learning.
TMA believes
awards like this are important, as just 32 percent of Texas eighth-graders have
achieved proficiency in science, according to the National Science Foundation’s
“Science and Engineering Indicators 2014” report. Through this award, TMA hopes
to help improve these numbers by recognizing innovative teachers and providing
them resources to continue motivating and engaging students.
Science professionals
fromThe University of Texas Charles A. Dana Center chose finalists from all the nominees, and physicians from TMA’s
Educational Scholarship, Loan, and Awards Committee selected the winners.
Rebecca Williams —
Elementary School Winner
Mrs. Williams teaches
fifth-grade science at Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Denton. She earned a
bachelor of arts degree and a master of science degree in science education
from Texas Women’s University. Teaching “is a calling similar to ministry or
healing,” said Mrs. Williams, whose classroom is filled with objects, sounds,
creatures, books, and stories to spark young minds. “I cannot imagine a more
meaningful occupation, or one more critical to the well-being of our communities.”
During her 23 years at Wilson Elementary, Mrs. Williams made lasting
impressions on her students, many of whom are now adults studying in a field of
science. Past student Kathryn Hokamp, an evolutionary biology major at Rice
University, said of Mrs. Williams, “I never met a teacher more universally
influential … her excitement was contagious.”
Betty McCulloch — Middle School Winner
Mrs. McCulloch teaches
sixth-grade science at Clear Creek Intermediate School in League City. She
learned to love science from her mother, an elementary school science teacher.
Mrs. McCulloch inspires students through many means, once promising to eat live
worms if they passed state tests. She involves the community in her lesson
plans, creating a school Science Night and securing a grant to expand the event
district-wide. “Betty McCulloch is a master teacher, impacting the lives of our
children, staff, and her community every day,” said Greg Smith, PhD,
superintendent of Clear Creek Independent School District. Mrs. McCulloch
earned a bachelor of business administration degree from The University of
Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
Janet Jones — High School Winner
Mrs. Jones teaches biology, honors biology, and clinical
health studies at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas. With more than
40 years in the classroom, Mrs. Jones counts both the school’s principal and
president as her alumni. “I have no idea how many of her former students are
now serving as doctors in their communities, but I know that number is
formidable,” said alumnus Thomas Garrison, who now is principal of Jesuit
College Preparatory School. She created the Jesuit Medical Society, a club
where students explore the possibility of a career in the medical field. Each
year, Mrs. Jones coordinates a medical mission trip to Guatemala, where
students care for patients alongside volunteer physicians. Mrs. Jones graduated
with a bachelor of arts degree from Mount Marty College-Yankton in South
Dakota.
The TMA Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards for Excellence in
Science Teaching are supported by the TMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of
TMA, thanks to an endowment established by Dr. and Mrs. Ernest C. Butler of
Austin and a grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, which has generously
supported this program for 10 years.
TMA is the largest state medical
society in the nation, representing more than 47,000 physician and medical
student members. It is located in Austin and has 112 component county medical
societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the
health of all Texans. TMA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the
association and raises funds to support the public health and science priority
initiatives of TMA and the family of medicine.
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Contact: Pam Udall (512) 370-1382; Cell: (512) 413-6807; e-mail: pam.udall[at]texmed[dot]org
Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; Cell: (512) 656-7320;
e-mail: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org