GOVERNOR PRESENTS TEACHERS WITH ‘GIANTS’ HONORS

(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter today honored three Idaho science teachers with the GIANTS Award at a ceremony at the Discovery Center of Idaho.

Lewiston High School teacher Gregory Thompson, Clair E. Gale Junior High School (Idaho Falls) teacher JoAnn Bodell, and Bellevue Elementary School teacher Krista Jones each received $2,000 as recipients of the Governor’s Industry Award for Notable Teaching in Science (GIANTS).

“Greg, JoAnn and Krista exemplify the dedication, innovation and initiative necessary to advance science and technology instruction for Idaho students,” Governor Otter said. “They are providing educational opportunities that connect their students with real-world applications to help prepare them to become the scientists, engineers, inventors and entrepreneurs of the future. Our students, industry and state are very fortunate to have educators with the enthusiasm, creativity and commitment of these three individuals.”

The GIANTS program was initiated by the Office of the Governor and sponsored by the Science and Technology Roundtable, a group of industry leaders including the Micron Foundation, Idaho National Laboratory, Washington Group International and Hewlett-Packard. With support from the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor’s Office of Science and Technology, the State Department of Education and Office of the State Board of Education, as well as the Discovery Center of Idaho, GIANTS recognizes teachers for their efforts to link industry and the economic future of Idaho to the classroom through the enhancement of science and technology education.

Honorable Mention awards of $500 each were presented to three additional teachers: Tammy Sewell from West Park Elementary School in Moscow, Norma Johnson from Jerome Middle School and Judy Wages from Bonners Ferry High School.

All the participating teachers were nominated by the student council and/or parent groups at their school for the impact they have made on students by bringing science to life. A cash prize of $500 goes to each school/student council that nominated the GIANTS award recipients, with a cash prize of $100 going to each school/student council that nominated the Honorable Mention award recipients.

All the GIANTS partners are firmly committed to enhancing science and technology education and consider it the backbone of Idaho’s future economic success. The Governor and the industry partners are pleased to recognize the achievements and significant contributions of these educators.

EDITORS NOTE: Attached is a brief summary for each of the award recipients.

Elementary School GIANTS Awardee:
The 2007 elementary school winner is Krista Jones, a K-5th grade science and technology education teacher from Bellevue Elementary School. Krista provides students with projects that integrate math, science, technology, social studies and language arts. Krista also involves her students in community service projects such as the Techno Treats project, where K-5 students explored biotechnology, food processing and manufacturing to raise $3,000 for the Feed the Children Foundation. Students also applied lessons learned in geophysics and materials-science manufacturing to raise $4,500 for the Care Foundation and $6,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Krista was the Idaho Technology Education Teacher of the Year and International Technology Education Elementary Program of the year in 2006. She was a state finalist for the National Science Foundation Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2004 and 2006. She is currently writing and publishing Human Space Exploration curriculum for NASA and the International Technology Education Association; and serves on the editorial board for Technology and Children Magazine. Krista has also been featured in the Tech Foundation of America’s Best Practices for Technology Education and is the author of articles in numerous educational publications.

Middle School GIANTS Awardee:
The GIANTS Middle School Teacher award goes to JoAnn Bodell of Clair E. Gale Junior High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. JoAnn has taught at Clair E. Gale for 34 years in all areas of science including honors physical science. She has been the Science Department Chair at the school much of the past 15 years and wrote the Life Science curriculum for District 91 as well as assisting with the Earth and Physical Science curriculum. She has been the Advisor for the National Junior Honor Society, has advised pep club groups, and taught drill team.

Three years ago, JoAnn started a physical science class for students who were “falling through the cracks.” She created a curriculum to meet their needs and ensure they could have a chance to experience success and obtain high school credit. She has been involved in the Jason Project and has offered her students projects ranging from collaboration with the BLM on soil analysis to field trips to the Ashton dog sled races to study hypothermia. Miss Bodell also incorporates science career awareness in the curriculum to help her students in class selection and career considerations.

High School GIANTS Awardee:
The GIANTS High School Awardee is Gregory Thompson. Greg began teaching chemistry and college chemistry at Lewiston High School in October 1999. In 2001, Greg developed a curriculum for an astronomy course and became science department head. He took on physics instruction in 2004. Greg emphasizes lab work with his students and requires them to make accurate and precise measurements, to do many replicates, and to keep a complete record of their experiments. His physics students particularly enjoy their outing to the Silverwood Amusement Park at the end of the year, where they take measurements from the rides, which are the bases for the problems on their final exam. Greg sponsors the Lewiston High Science Club and advises the Quiz Bowl team.

Greg chose to become a teacher after many years as a research biochemist at Cornell University Medical College, the National Institute of Mental Health, and Calgene (now a subsidiary of Monsanto). Greg holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and his research led to more than 25 publications and 8 patents.

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