Siegfried Excellence in STEM Education Awards

The Siegfried Excellence in STEM Education Awards recognize Oklahoma’s most dedicated and inspirational teachers who exemplify integrated, STEM-infused teaching strategies and classroom innovation and whose work has led to positive student learning outcomes. The awardees are leaders that identify, support, and promote innovative practices that address significant challenges in expanding access to quality STEM education.

Timeline

Nominations & Applications Open: June 1, 2023
Applications Close: June 30, 2023
Finalist Announcement: August 1, 2023
Recognition Event: September 14, 2023

The Siegfried Excellence in STEM Education Awards recognizes an educator from each major grade band and a school leader or administrator:

• Elementary Educator, K-5
• Middle School Educator, 6-8
• High School Educator, 9-12
• Leadership Award, school administrators and district leaders

Additionally, one of these finalists will be selected as the overall “Siegfried STEM Educator of the Year” and will receive an additional award. 

Applicants must be an Oklahoma educator or administrator with at least two years of experience, actively employed by a school district in Oklahoma. Previous award recipients will not be eligible for consideration for five years after the award period.

Each finalist will receive: 

• Two complimentary tickets to Flight Night on September 14
• A plaque
• $2,000 grant to fuel further innovation in their classroom, community, or professionally
• $500 cash prize for the awardee’s personal discretion
• Seat on TRSA’s Educator Advisory Committee

Additionally, the overall Siegfried STEM Educator of the Year will receive the following: 

• Additional $2,000 grant (totaling $4,000 in STEM education funding)
• Additional $500 cash prize (totaling $1,000 in personal reward)
• Opportunity to represent Ecosystem at the annual STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice

2022

STEM Teacher of the Year & Elementary School  Award Winner
Barbie Jackson – Sand Springs Public Schools/Limestone Technology Academy
Barbie Jackson is an innovator in all areas of STEM education. As the STEAM Lab resource teacher at Limestone Technology Academy in Sand Springs, she continues to provide students with hands-on, minds-on STEM experiences. Barbie pulls real-world experiences into her STEAM Lab through programs like Monarch WayStation, which allows students to work hands-on, helping to understand and save an endangered species while meeting state academic standards about life cycles and the movement of populations. Thanks to Barbie, her students have a place to be creative and tinker at the Maker Space and Breaker Space. In conjunction with robotics and Junior Achievement programming, Barbie has cultivated a holistic approach to STEM education through content, experience, and the development of leadership skills. She works to ensure students have multiple opportunities to engage with STEM through the STEAM Lab and a variety of after-school programs. As an advocate for STEM education, Barbie spends countless hours of personal time pursuing professional growth opportunities to ensure her students have access to the most up-to-date resources. She serves as a model of lifelong learning, and she advocates for public education and educators. Barbie Jackson is this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator at the Elementary School level because she is the teacher we wish every child would have — one who believes in every child’s potential and who goes above and beyond to make waves in her classroom.

Middle School Award Winner
Michelle Rahn – Claremore Public Schools/Will Rogers Jr. High School  
Families, teachers, and peers are the three biggest influences in a student’s life. Michelle Rahn, a 14-year veteran educator at Will Rogers Jr. High in Claremore, is a STEM innovator because she has worked with multiple community partners to develop a network of support for her students. This network engages families, community members, and students through after-school STEM Clubs, in-school STEM programming, and a Community Space Day event. Michelle demonstrates STEM for ALL through her Will Rogers Jr. High Girls STEM Club, working with female students to design, build, and compete in multiple robotics programs while developing their developing confidence in their capability to be innovative in STEM. She also organized the first Broken Arrow Community Space Day, celebrating aerospace achievements, which reached more than 450 people! Michelle Rahn is named this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator at the Middle School level for her tireless efforts to ensure students are supported by family, school, and community members pursuing STEM.

High School Award Winner
Amy Moore – Tulsa Public Schools/Booker T. Washington High School
Finding ways to make upper-level STEM courses accessible and rooted in real-world experience is what makes Amy Moore this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator at the High School level. Teaching at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Amy uses hands-on laboratory demonstrations and explorations in her STEM classes to provide a gateway to a wide variety of STEM applications. Students test hypotheses and learn through discovery and data analysis during her labs. They’re able to conduct experiments and observations like real forensic scientists in a safe and controlled environment. Students use observation and critical thinking skills and practice working as a team to solve escape rooms. Encouraging students to make informed decisions through data is only half of the story. Amy prioritizes reflection and getting feedback from students to ensure her labs remain relevant, challenging, and supportive of student growth in STEM concepts. Recently, Amy heard from a former student and learned he felt very prepared for his college STEM classes. The student stated, “It was so easy! It was practically a review of what we did freshman year!” Ensuring her students are prepared to tackle the STEM challenges that face them is what makes Amy Moore a true STEM Innovator. 

Leadership Award Winner
Andrea Sagely – Muskogee Public Schools 
Andrea Sagely is a STEM Innovator not only through the work she does as an administrator at Creek Elementary in Muskogee but also through her work to expand access to STEM in the Broken Arrow community. A 20-year veteran in education, Andrea has been an advocate for STEM education as a teacher and administrator. After writing and receiving a large grant from the Oklahoma State Department of Education, she developed and implemented the Club Invention after-school program that serves 80 elementary students each day! Club Invention facilitates STEM learning while encouraging students not to miss a school day so they don’t miss their STEM club. She also partners with the OSU Extension Office to plant and maintain a 1,400-square-foot garden through a program called, “Watch Us Grow.” Each grade plans and raises the plants in their assigned bed, learning about ecology, life cycles, and how plants change over time. When not fostering strong STEM programs at her elementary school in Muskogee, Andrea has worked tirelessly for years to bring an interactive solar system model to the Broken Arrow community. Along with other stakeholders and educators, she worked to raise funds and awareness for STEM education by installing a large museum-quality, scale model of the solar system that runs one-half mile along 61st Street in Broken Arrow between Lynn Lane and County Line Road. After the installation was completed in June 2022, Andrea set her sights on developing a curriculum for school field trips and community nights. Andrea Sagely is this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator Administrator for her efforts in promoting and advocating for STEM education in multiple communities.

2021

STEM Teacher of the Year & Elementary School  Award Winner
Lisa Pitts – Oakdale Public Schools

Middle School Award Winner
Diana Fiddler – Caney Valley Public Schools

High School Award Winner
Crystal Jackson – Olive Public Schools

Leadership Award Winner
Tammy Parks – Howe Public Schools

 

2020*

Gold Award Winner
Anissa Angier-Dunn – Will Rogers Elementary School

Silver Award Winner
Brenda Wilson – Jenks East Intermediate School

Bronze Award Winner
Stephanie Bradley – Summit Christian Academy

Honorable Mentions
Hillary LeDoux – Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Academy 
Beverly Cotton – Emerson Elementary
Dana Hamersly – Verdigris Junior High School

*In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the field of education, leading to the reevaluation and modification of award categories. In an effort to recognize educators’ exceptional efforts and adaptability during remote and hybrid learning, additional award categories were introduced to acknowledge their innovative teaching practices, technological proficiency, and commitment to student well-being in virtual environments. 

2019

Elementary School  Award Winner
Kimberly Michele McCallum – Liberty Elementary STEM Academy

STEM Teacher of the Year & Middle School Award Winner
Abraham Kamara – Memorial Junior High

High School Award Winner
Shannon Chatwin – Owasso High School

Leadership Award Winner
Paula Kedy – Ada City School District

2018

Elementary School  Award Winner
Annie Overose McGill – Burroughs Elementary School

STEM Teacher of the Year & Middle School Award Winner
Kenneth Cole – Clyde Boyd Middle School

High School Award Winner
Holly Hannon – Kiefer High School

Leadership Award Winner
Chris Reynolds – Darnaby Elementary