This award is a testament to the amazing partnership between teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members that helps capture and captivate the intrinsic value of science as exploration. I am humbled and grateful that I can represent my school, district, town, and state with this Presidential Award. This recognition affirms my own pursuit of excellence in bringing science instruction to the classroom in a manner that inspires and engages students’ hearts and minds.

Kristen Wheat Picayune, MS | K-6, Science, 2010

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

Kristen Wheat has been an educator for 14 years and has spent the last several years teaching fifth grade science at South Side Elementary in the Picayune School District. As South Side’s “Queen of Science,” Kristy works on the Science Fair Committee and has initiated the school’s annual Family Science Night, which has drawn crowds averaging 150-200 guests over the last 4 years. For the last 3 years, Kristy has served on Content, Bias, and Data Review committees at the Mississippi Department of Education to assist in State test development. She is a four-time presenter at the annual convention of the Mississippi Educational Computing Association, where she has led sessions on integrating literacy and technology in the science classroom. Kristy strives to provide encouragement and support to other teachers through her work as a district and school mentor and instructional coach. She has led several districtwide and schoolwide professional development sessions and serves on the Teacher Support Team. Kristy has a B.A. in English and science education and an M.Ed. in elementary education from William Carey University. She is certified in elementary education, mild and moderate disabilities, gifted education, science and English 7-12, and reading.

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