Jenks, Stillwater Teachers Receive Presidential Award

A Jenks math teacher and a Stillwater science teacher have been named recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The White House named 213 recipients of the prestigious award on Monday. The teachers represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools.

The recipients include Rebekah Hammack, a science teacher at Stillwater Middle School, and Moriah Widener, a math teacher at Jenks West Intermediate School.

The educators will receive their awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on September 8, 2016.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded to outstanding K-12 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 at the state level.

Each nomination year of the award alternates between teachers in the kindergarten through 6th grade level, and those teaching 7th through 12th grades. The awardees named Monday represent two nomination years, one of teachers in kindergarten through 6th grade classrooms and the other in 7th through 12th grade classrooms.

Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion.