The Presidential Award is an honor, recognition, and celebration of all the hard work educators do in and out of the classroom. I am honored to have been chosen for this prestigious award, but could not have done it without the support of my colleagues and students at the schools where I have worked. It reaffirms my teaching passion for inquiry-based science classrooms.

Michael Dodd APO, AE | K-6, Science, 2016

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

Michael “Lee” Dodd II is going into his third year teaching sixth grade science at Patch Middle School. He has 14 years of teaching experience, 10 of them within the Department of Defense Education Activity. He previously taught grades six through eight at Mannheim Middle School and Robinson Barracks Elementary Middle School. Lee creates an environment that fosters excitement about scientific inquiry and incorporates the middle school concept of educating the whole child through the implementation of a lab-based classroom. Through strong partnerships and collaborative instruction, Lee helps students achieve their potential to become college and career ready. He sponsors multiple afterschool clubs, including the Young Astronauts Club, Space Camp, and Science Club, to help foster a love for learning science. He was recognized as the 2016 Bavaria DODEA District Teacher of the Year, and was Science Department Chair and Grade Level Chair at his current and previous schools. Lee earned his B.A. in secondary education and environmental studies from Principia College in Elsah, IL. He completed a M.S. in education with a focus on kindergarten through eighth grade science at Walden University. He is certified to teach secondary education for biology and general science. He is also certified in social studies and health, and humanities for DODEA.

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