Congratulations to the award winners at this year’s NATM/NATS (Nebraska Association of Teachers of Mathematics/Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science) Fall Conference held on September 19-21 in Kearney.
The Don W. Miller Service Award went to Marci Ostmeyer, ESU 7 Professional Development Director. Ostmeyer is a graduate of NebraskaMATH’s Math in the Middle program. See more about Marci below.
The Milton Beckman Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Leona Penner, former Lincoln Public Schools teacher who played a critical role in the growth and level of competition at UNL’s annual Math Day. Read more about Leona below.
The Presidential Award winners were Joan Ebel, Dan Schaben (also a Math in the Middle graduate and a Noyce Master Teacher), and Deb Bulin (an avid NebraskaMATH participant and host of Math Teachers Circles).
Marci Ostmeyer is in her seventh year at ESU 7 in Columbus. Prior to working at ESU 7, she taught at Cross County Community Schools. Marci is currently a member of the NATM Board as the NCTM Representative and has served as membership chair. She has participated in standards writing and revision and presented at various professional development conferences throughout the years.
The Don Miller Distinguished Service Award was established by the NATM Executive Board in 1989. Its purpose is to honor mathematics educators for their contribution to the improvement of mathematics education in the state of Nebraska.
The awardee must be directly involved in mathematics education in the state of Nebraska, be an active member of NATM and NCTM, demonstrate leadership in the promotion of mathematics as a science and a field of study, be an outstanding educator, demonstrate leadership in the development and implementation of new teaching strategies and technology for the teaching of mathematics.
Leona Penner was nominated for the Milton Beckman Lifetime Achievement Award by Shelby Aaberg, 2015 Nebraska Teacher of the Year and 2013 Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
“Leona’s career as a mathematics teacher spanned four decades," Aaberg said. "Her continued work with the MATHCOUNTS national writing committee and the MATHCOUNTS state contest ... is a testament to her passion for mathematics and for teaching.”
The Milton Beckman Lifetime Achievement Award was established by the NATM Board in 1989. Its purpose is to honor outstanding mathematics educators who have spent a lifetime working on the improvement of mathematics education in the state of Nebraska.
The awardee must have devoted a career to the improvement of mathematics education in the state of Nebraska, been active members of the NATM and the NCTM, demonstrated leadership in the promotion of mathematics as a science and a field of study, demonstrated outstanding teaching and demonstrated leadership in the development and implementation of new teaching strategies and technology for the teaching of mathematics.
Congratulations to all of these winners!