Local STEM Teachers Honored

In August, the chapter recognized recipients of its 2011 Science Teaching Tools scholarships. The awards ceremony and reception were held at the Fort Bragg Club in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Science Teaching Tools program is a joint effort between AFCEA chapters located across the country and the AFCEA Educational Foundation. It promotes to effective science teaching and enhances the abilities of capable science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers in K-12 schools worldwide. The AFCEA Educational Foundation provides $1,000 to participating chapters, which then select one or more elementary, middle or high school STEM teachers (or the international equivalent) for the purpose of augmenting STEM activities for their students. Awards are not limited to public institutions, and many chapters match or exceed the foundation's grants. Donations from Booz Allen Hamilton, Terremark Worldwide Incorporated and AFCEA International make the grants possible.

This year, the chapter gave more than $20,000 to 18 local schools to support science and technology education. Recipients included Benjamin Martin Elementary School, which was destroyed in a tornado that struck Fayetteville, North Carolina, on April 16, 2011. The scholarship donation helped the school re-establish its science teaching tools area. At the awards presentation, T. Brock Winslow, vice chancellor of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), provided the keynote address. Winslow, a graduate of the school located in Durham, North Carolina, stressed the need to foster interest in science and math at the grassroots level. “Programs like AFCEA's Science Teaching Tools help teachers build that desire for science and math in kids,” Winslow remarked. “Perhaps the next batch applying to come to the school will be as a result of this partnership between local schools and groups like AFCEA.” Winslow noted that graduates of NCSSM provide more than $500 million in annual economic growth to the state of North Carolina. Nearly 30 students from Cumberland County (home to Fort Bragg and the chapter) attend the school currently. Teachers receiving the awards were overwhelmed by the generosity and philanthropy of AFCEA. “We thank you for honoring us in this way,” one teacher said. “This is truly a gift—no, a blessing. To have the ability to make science come alive for our students through your generous donation inspires us to do more, be more, for our students, and continue to drive their excellence in math and science.”

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