Receiving this award is not only an honor for myself but one I share with the school’s community. This recognition brings to light the uniqueness a rural, one-room school offers and honors all the exceptional teachers in this unparalleled environment. This award motivates me to continue my quest to bring conceptual change in the pedagogy of teaching science to teachers, and it challenges and motivates me to invigorate other teachers to bring science to the forefront of education.

Judy Boyle Divide, MT | K-6, Science, 2016

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

Judith "Judy" Boyle has been teaching for 34 years in various states, including Vermont, New Hampshire, Idaho, and Montana. For 13 years, she has been teaching at Divide School (a one-room schoolhouse), as its only teacher. Given this situation, she teaches kindergarten through eighth grade students in all subjects, integrating science, mathematics, and English/language arts into her curriculum. Judy participates in the Montana Partnership with Regions for Excellence in STEM, and is a Northwest earth and space science pipeline trainer bringing the Next Generation Science Standards to Montana teachers. She is the President-elect of the Montana Science Teachers Association and was the Montana alternate delegate at the National Science Teachers Association’s National Congress on Science Education in 2016. In addition, she was a member of the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for the new Montana Science Standards, and presented in support of these standards to Montana’s Education and Local Government Committee at the Montana state capitol. She was awarded the Montana PBS Mission US Award in 2010, and the Montana Environmental Educator Teacher of the Year in 2011. Judy earned a B.S. in elementary education, magna cum laude, from Norwich University and she is a certified teacher in kindergarten through eighth grade elementary education.

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