Elementary Presidential Award finalists announced

Alysia Augustus, Amy Davidson and Laura Parn are finalists for the 2012 PAEMST elementary award.
Alysia Augustus, Amy Davidson and Laura Parn are finalists for the 2012 PAEMST elementary award.

The Nebraska Department of Education has announced the selection of three elementary teachers as Nebraska's finalists for the 2012 cycle of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, including two who have been part of the Primarily Math program. In addition, Laura Parn, a former LPS elementary teacher and math coach who helped create and teach Math 800P and Math 801P in the Primarily Math program, is also a finalist in Missouri.

These elementary teachers' packets have now been forwarded to the national level where a panel will determine if one of them will represent the state. If you know any of these individuals, we encourage you to congratulate them on this honor and support them during what feels like an extremely long wait for the final announcement from the White House.

The finalists are:
- Alysia Augustus, Anderson Grove Elementary, Papillion-La Vista Public Schools
- Amy Davidson, Fredstrom Elementary, Lincoln Public Schools
- Michelle Phillips, Dundee Elementary, Omaha Public Schools

In addition, Laura Parn, formerly of LPS, is among the finalists for the state of Missouri where she is now teaching fourth grade near St. Louis.

Augustus and Davidson have participated in NebraskaMATH's Primarily Math program, while Parn served as an instructor for Primarily Math and was a Math in the Middle graduate.

Nominations for the next cycle, which is at the secondary level, will be available in the fall. For more information about the program, check out the website: http://www.paemst.org.

More details at: http://www.paemst.org