The Presidential Award is an affirmation of our labor of love as educators, particularly in science. We strive to infuse our students with the passion and excitement we feel from science while providing them with the tools to get to know the scientist that resides within each and every one of us. We don't all have to pursue a life in science to know its impacts on our everyday life and use it to better our lives and the world we live in.

Tabitha Vu Geismar, LA | 7-12, Science, 2017

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

Tabitha Vu has been an educator for more than 17 years and recently began her first year at James E. Taylor High School as a chemistry teacher. She previously spent 15 years teaching 11th and 12th-grade chemistry at Dutchtown High School in Ascension Parish School District. She has also taught at St. Michael, the Archangel High School. Tabitha's work as a science educator has impacted students and teachers beyond just her classroom. Her leadership has resulted in the development and implementation of a unique model for teaching chemistry, called The Module System, that is used district-wide as well as a few classrooms beyond Ascension Parish School District. Making the challenging subject matter of chemistry accessible to all types of students has been the driving force behind her innovative approach to teaching both students that want to thrive and those that want to survive. Students have lauded the effectiveness of the system and have even asked their other teachers to find a way to use the system with their subjects. Tabitha has served as a co-presenter at an LSTA convention and as a candidate support provider for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Tabitha earned a B.S. in secondary education with a concentration in chemistry and a M.Ed in educational leadership from Louisiana State University. She is certified in secondary education for chemistry, physics, and general science.

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