Tony Thurmond Announces PAEMST Finalists
Several educators were named as finalists for the 2023 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond onWednesday. They are:
- Kristen Donavan of Woodbridge High School in the Irvine Unified School District (ninth through twelfth grades) — Math finalist
- Cheyanne Freitas of Dixon High School in the Dixon Unified School District (ninth through twelfth grades) — Math finalist
- Richard Kick of Newbury Park High School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District (ninth through twelfth grades) — Math finalist
- Jonathan Southam of New Technology High School in the Napa Valley Unified School District (ninth through twelfth grades) — Math finalist
- Maria Hernandez-Gonzales of Lorbeer Middle School in the Pomona Unified School District (seventh and eighth grades) — Science finalist
- Amber Lancaster of Raoul Wallenberg High School in the San Francisco Unified School District (ninth through twelfth grades) — Science finalist
- Samantha Stickley of San Marcos Middle School in the San Marcos Unified School District (seventh grade) — Science finalist
Thurmond praised the finalists for ‘modeling excellence’ in the way California prepares students for the future.
The PAEMST awards honor exemplary science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teachers from across the United States. In 2023, eligibility was limited to teachers of grades 7-12.
“The PAEMST is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government specifically for kindergarten through grade twelve science, mathematics, engineering, and computer science teaching,” according to the California Department of Education.
The finalists will receive a $10,000 special award from the National Science Foundation at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
