The Presidential Award is a wonderful public acknowledgement of the value placed on quality science education for America's youth. I am proud of my profession and equally proud to win this award because I believe that my science education colleagues and I have a tremendous responsibility to ensure that the future leaders of our country are well-rounded, scientifically literate decision makers.

Brenda Zabel Omaha, NE | 7-12, Science, 2009

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

Brenda Zabel has taught science at Westside High School for the past 11 years. She also taught science at Northeast High School in Lincoln, NE, for 10 years and at Heelan High School in Sioux City, IA, for 3 years. As the Science Department Chair, Brenda facilitates all aspects of the science curriculum for grades 9-12 at Westside High School, in addition to teaching Zoology and Physiology classes. Blending the art and science of teaching and using innovative technologies to enhance student learning are Brenda’s strengths. She strives to make complex scientific processes easy to understand through the creative use of videos, animations, and music. Brenda has also led intensive professional development opportunities for other science teachers across the State of Nebraska over the past 4 years. She has presented sessions on teaming, technology, and teachable moments at numerous conferences and is a contributing author for the book Best Practices for Teaching Science: What Award-Winning Classroom Teachers Do. Brenda has a B.S. in Secondary Education with endorsements in Biology and Psychology and an M.A. in Educational Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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