Nebraska Teachers Honored with Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching

NEBRASKA TEACHERS HONORED WITH PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHING

Six Nebraska teachers are among 300 nationally selected to receive Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). These winners represent awards for 2021, 2022, and 2023.

The Nebraska awardees include Kathryn Dornbos, Norris High School (Science) and Joan Ebel, Columbus High School (Math) from 2021, Andrew Boone, Gretna Public Schools (Math) and Amy Kinnett, Dawes Middle School, Lincoln (Math) from 2022, and Jennifer Jones, Ogallala High School (Science) and Arnold Talero, Norris Public Schools (Math) from 2023.

Katy Dornbos teaches students in Chemistry, Dual-Credit Chemistry, STEM, and Physics: 13 years at Norris High School, and three years at Millard West High School. Katy's students are involved in community-enhancing science projects locally and across the state. Katy enjoys learning from and connecting with science teachers at the local, state, and national level.

Jennifer Jones has been a science teacher since 2011 at Ogallala High School, teaching Chemistry, Advanced Chemistry, Anatomy, Physics, and Science Capstone. Jennifer promotes learning in her classroom with use of modeling, hands-on learning, and opportunities for student research.

Amy Kinnett has been teaching for Lincoln Public Schools since 2007.  She has taught several grade levels from kindergarten to 6th-grade.  She is currently teaching 6th-grade Math at Dawes Middle School.  Amy enjoys learning new instructional strategies that make learning Math meaningful, engaging, and accessible for all learners.

Andrew Boone has been an educator for 15 years at Gretna Public Schools.  He has taught Kindergarten, First Grade, and Fifth Grade at Thomas Elementary and Harvest Hills Elementary.  He currently serves as the Director of Assessment.  Andrew enjoys working with teachers to discover a love for math and helping students understand the beauty of mathematics through rich discussion and problem solving. 

Joan "Joni" Ebel has been an educator for 24 years and has spent her entire career as a mathematics teacher at Columbus Middle School. Joni’s love of mathematics and middle school teaching has led her to develop innovative and hands-on educational activities to engage students in their mathematical journey. She is a Columbus Public Schools District Mentor Teacher and a Mentor Teacher for the National Network of State Teachers of the Year.

Arnold Talero teaches mathematics at Norris high school in Firth Nebraska and has been doing so for the past 18 years. Prior to teaching, he was an engineer for 14 years.  He made a career change into math education because he enjoys teaching and he hasn’t regretted the discussion to go into the education field.

Each awardee will receive a $10,000 award from NSF. Awardees will also travel to Washington, DC, for an awards ceremony.

For information about this year’s Presidential awardees or information about the annual nomination and application process, please visit http://www.paemst.org.