The Presidential Award, with certainty, is a lifetime achievement that will forever bring a sense of pride and honor to myself and my family. It is with fondest memories that I would like to dedicate this award to my father, who patiently nurtured my curiosity, encouraged my tenacity, and, along with my mother, filled my world with countless opportunities to explore and grow into the person I am today.

Alicia Madeka Hammond, IN | K-6, Science, 2010

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

Alicia Madeka has been an educator for 20 years. She has spent the last 17 years teaching third grade at Kenwood Elementary in the School City of Hammond District. She spent her first 3 years as an educator teaching art in that same district. Alicia's love of teaching led her to focus her instructional talents on both academic and extracurricular activities. She coached a LEGO robotics team for 6 years, bringing home 24 regional and state trophies, and received formal recognition from the House of Representatives. Alicia has written and implemented multidisciplinary curricula for a summer gifted and talented program for her school district. For the past 8 years, she has co-coached a Science Olympiad team. Alicia is currently participating in the NASA Endeavor Science Teaching Certificate Project and is an active member of the Teacher Advisory Board for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL. Alicia serves on multiple committees at both the regional and state levels and has created and provided her district with many educational resources. She has presented workshops at several state conferences. Alicia has a B.A., magna cum laude, in fine arts from Calumet College of Saint Joseph. She is a certified elementary school teacher and a National Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist.

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