Receiving the Presidential Award is an affirmation of the people who have chosen to surround me. It means I have the very best students at Green Valley High School, the very best mentors in Ellen Ebert and Kent Crippen, the very best friends in Dorothy Knox and Carl Jarvinen, and the very best family in my husband, Jason, and my son, Khorbin. This award is more than some sort of substantiation of me as a teacher--it is a celebration of an entire community of people who know that Science matters.

Cynthia Kern Henderson, NV | 7-12, Science, 2009

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

Cindy Kern has spent her 13-year career teaching science at Green Valley High School in the Clark County School District. She also teaches Secondary Science Methods at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Cindy takes her passion and curiosity about the world and instills it in her students by using reflective and critical thinking methods. She uses inquiry to help students investigate how their growing understanding of science compares to known scientific understanding. She does not believe in confining learning to the classroom; she frequently takes students on field trips to major research institutions such as Scripps and national parks such as Zion. Cindy works to bring inclusionary practices to the classroom, making science accessible to all students. She facilitates Math Integrating Science and Technology, or MIST, a state-wide professional development program integrating mathematics and science. She also presents at national conferences, focusing on concept mapping, professional development models, and districtwide inquiry projects, and she has published articles in the Science Teacher and Exemplary Science Practices. Cindy has a B.S. in Secondary Education and an M.Ed. in Science Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she is currently working on a Ph.D. in Science Education.

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