Broken Arrow Science Teacher Nominated For National Honor

A Broken Arrow teacher is one of four finalists for the 2019 National Teacher of Year. Governor Kevin Stitt made the announcement at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center Wednesday, January 23.

Donna Gradel is an environmental sciences teacher whose career has included students in international projects to provide clean water and protein to orphans in Kenya.

Her students designed a way for Kenyan orphans to produce fish food more cheaply. They also created sustainable means to feed chickens, providing food for a school that rescues sex trafficking victims.

Governor Kevin Stitt To Visit Broken Arrow High School 

“I constantly encourage them to dream big and make a difference in the world,” Gradel said.

“They know our classroom is a safe, caring place to imagine and not be afraid to fail. In our learning environment, innovation outweighs the final product.”

In 2014, her class was the first in Oklahoma to receive a $10,000 grant from the Lemelson-MIT Program’s InvenTeam initiative.

The announcement came after Gradel took Oklahoman’s new governor on a tour of Broken Arrow High School and one of her favorite projects - a floating wetland across from the school.

Gradel credits a teacher she had in high school with inspiring her to go on to study science.