Congratulations to the Ottawa Hills Junior/Senior High School science department who received the Governor's Thomas Edison Awards for Excellence in STEM Education.
Members of the department include: Kathy Singler, Mary Kate Hafemann, B. Tim Adkins, Jeanine Bailey, Nicole Silvers, and Brandon Aigner. The Ohio Academy of Science today selected 48 Ohio schools and 265 teachers to receive Governor's Thomas Edison Awards for Excellence in STEM Education for their accomplishments during the 2010-2011 school year. The Technology Division of The Ohio Department of Development funded the 
program. To receive the award, schools had (1) to conduct a local science fair with 20 or more students; (2) qualify one or more of these students for one of the Academy's 15 district science days; (3) have students participate in at least one more youth science opportunity beyond the classroom such as State Science Day, visits to museums, mentorship programs and extended field trips; and (4) convince external reviewers from business and industry, government and academia how and to what extent the school’s program met the Academy’s definition of STEM education. “These schools are engaged in project-based curricula, the central element of any STEM education program,” said Dr. Lynn E. Elfner, the Academy's CEO.
"Receiving a Governor's Thomas Edison Award for Excellence sends a clear signal that these schools and teachers value student-originated, inquiry-based science and technology education as envisioned for the Next-Generation Science Education Standards being developed nationally,” said Dr. Lynn E. Elfner, the Academy's CEO. "Whole new worlds of opportunities open up to students when they complete research or technological design projects," he continued.