The Presidential Award provides me the opportunity to come together with my esteemed colleagues to collaborate on how best to inspire and prepare our students for success. The ever-developing world of science makes it that much more important that science teachers never stop learning and looking for ways to open the eyes of their students to STEM. As a sixth grade teacher, I am my students' first science teacher therefore I need to make a lasting impression.

George McGurl Ellicott City, MD | K-6, Science, 2016

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

George McGurl, a Howard County teacher of 16 years, has enjoyed 15 of those years at Burleigh Manor Middle School (BMMS), sharing his love of science with his sixth grade students. It has been his pleasure to give back to the school system that gave him so much by leading their environmental education, Green School, and STEM programs for the past 15 years. George's desire to spark a passion for science in the hearts of his students is clearly evident in the Outdoor Education program at BMMS. The program includes a sixth grade multi-day trip to camp on the Chesapeake Bay, a seventh grade Trout in the Classroom program, and an eighth grade day trip to provide a service learning experience at the Howard County Conservancy. George's STEM initiatives provide students with multiple ways to explore their strengths by competing in engineering challenges and participating in afterschool programming and robotics activities. His dedication to his craft earned him the Agnes Meyer Distinguished Teacher award for 2013, Howard County Teacher of the Year 2013, Maryland State Teacher of the Year finalist 2013, and recognition for making a difference in his community. He earned his B.S. in education from the University of Maryland and his M.S. in curriculum and instruction from McDaniel University. George is certified in kindergarten through eighth grade elementary education.

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