The Presidential Award means that I have been initiated into an elite organization whose members are among the finest science educators in the United States. The Presidential Award is the quintessential affirmation of the science instruction taking place in my classroom: the "hands-on, minds-on" approach! Because of being bestowed this award, I am inspired to meet new and even higher expectations while continuing to train other teachers and implement a rigorous science program in my classroom.

Mary Meggett Charleston, SC | K-6, Science, 2008

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Mary Beth Meggett has taught science for third through fifth grade in the Charleston County School District for the past 14 years, first at Ronald E. McNair Elementary School and since 1999 at Stiles Point Elementary School. She serves as science liaison, delivering district science curricula and information to administrators and fellow teachers. In addition she plans the annual science fair and family mathematics and science night. Third grade students of Mrs. Meggett learn in a multicultural, standards-based environment and benefit from science units that she codesigns and integrates across other subjects. They enjoy hands-on activities and inquiry-based lessons using science notebooks and research-based science curriculum kits in a self-contained classroom. A colleague praised the environment of trust and risk taking that Mrs. Meggett maintains. A superlative teacher, Mrs. Meggett wants her students to understand science--and it shows, according to her principal. She is hailed by the district for the results she achieved through her involvement with Project ASK, a grant that focuses on assessment. Ninety percent of her students scored "proficient" or "advanced" on the science portion of the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test, the standardized testing program for South Carolina students. Mrs. Meggett was named Teacher of the Year in 2005 and Distinguished Reading Teacher of the Year in 2004 at Stiles Point Elementary School. She frequently presents at state and national conferences and conducts the science notebook training for the district. Mrs. Meggett has a B.S. in education from the University of Kansas and an M.A. in teaching, elementary education from the University of Charleston. In 2005 she completed a master's plus 30 certificate through The Citadel and University of Charleston, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; math and literature; science inquiry; technology for students with special needs; and integrating the Internet with science. Mrs. Meggett is certified in elementary education in South Carolina and is National Board Certified as a Middle Childhood Generalist.

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