The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has awarded CU-Boulder School of Education alumna Erin Park a 2016 Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award for New Teachers. The Simmons Award recognizes select K-12 teachers in their first five years of teaching, and as an award recipient, Park was honored at the NSTA National Conference on April 1 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Park (2011, Secondary Science) is science teacher at Battle Mountain High School in Edwards, Colorado, where she teaches 10th and 11th grade chemistry and an ACT prep course. Beginning in the fall of 2016, she will lead an AVID program for freshmen. Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, is a global program dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and other postsecondary opportunities.
While enrolled in the School of Education, Park was part of CU Teach, an innovative and nationally renowned secondary math, science, and engineering teacher education program. “CU Teach gave me the foundation required to be successful and motivated in the demanding profession of science teaching,” Park said. “I left the program prepared and skilled with not only strategies, but professional connections to utilize in my teaching career.”
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all, and its annual awards recognize exceptional science educators and outstanding work in the science education field.