Matthew (Matt) Miller ’95 of Kalona, Iowa, was named one of 103 recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by President Obama on June 7, 2010.
This presidential award is conferred annually on the best pre-college-level science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between mathematics and science teachers teaching kindergarten through grade 6, and those teaching 7 through 12 grades.
In 2009-10 it went to teachers teaching grades 7 through 12. Winners received a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They also received an expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, for the awards ceremony and several days of educational and celebratory events, including visits with members of Congress and science agency leaders. Miller teaches math in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Jennifer Wenger Wright ’92 of Weyers Cave, Va., was one of 41 teachers in the nation who was named Outstanding Special Education Teacher for 2009-10 by the National Association of Special Education Teachers. Wright, who was one of two Virginia teachers in the group of honorees, has received numerous local and state Economics Education Awards for her student-run economics businesses, “Wright’s Bites,” “Wright’s Healthy Riches,” and “Wright’s Hearty Workers.” Wright has taught for 18 years and currently teaches students with developmental disabilities in the Harrisonburg city school system.