Elementary teachers win national honors

Two Utah County elementary school teachers will be presented with presidential awards this year for their contributions to teaching and learning and their ability to help students make progress in math and science.

Pleasant Grove's Manila Elementary School math teacher Natalie Robinson is one of 46 teachers chosen nationwide to receive the prestigious 2008 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, while Vickie Ahlstrom, who teaches science at Sego Lily Elementary School in Lehi, joins 41 science teachers in the country to receive the award this year.

Robinson and Ahlstrom are the only winners from Utah and two of 87 teachers nationwide to be named for the award.

"There is no higher calling than furthering the educational advancement of our nation's young people and encouraging and inspiring our next generation of leaders," President Barack Obama said in a statement Wednesday.

Winning teachers receive a citation signed by the president, a paid trip for two to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities, and a $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.

"Excellent teachers are crucial to our children's success in science and mathematics, and they have a tremendous impact on their students' future interests and pursuits," NSF Director Arden L. Bement Jr said in a statement. "As a nation, our future innovation and competitiveness depends upon young people who have a solid foundation in these disciplines and an interest in further study."

Applications for the awards are reviewed at state and national levels by selection committees of scientists, mathematicians and educators. Nominees are then sent to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for final selection. Awards alternate between elementary and secondary school teachers each year.

— Wendy Leonard