The Presidential Award is an overwhelming honor. I accept it with great excitement, humbleness, and the responsibility to pay forward to the many talented teachers, students, and supportive parents that made it possible. I look forward with eagerness to the opportunities the award presents to collaborate with teachers and to increase personal and student learning experiences through which to make education relevant, rigorous, and exciting for all.

Linda Kehr Klamath Falls, OR | K-6, Science, 2008

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

Linda Kehr has taught fifth grade at Ferguson Elementary School in the Klamath County School District for the past 12 years. In 2004 Mrs. Kehr persuaded a professor from the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) to make a presentation to her class concerning their participation in a high-altitude balloon launch that OIT students were planning for spring 2005. During the presentation, her students learned about the engineering that goes into building satellites. The students were so excited about participating in the launch that they designed and built their own satellite to be launched with the balloon. In spring 2005, some of Mrs. Kehr's students helped OIT students launch and recover the satellite. To support this activity, Mrs. Kehr took an OIT college course that explained the scientific environment and engineering aspects associated with the flight. Using a grant, she enabled three additional elementary school teachers to take OIT's spring 2006 high-altitude balloon course. Those teachers' students then participated in the 2007 launch. Six elementary school teachers attended OIT's spring 2007 high-altitude balloon course, and mentored by Mrs. Kehr, each class participated in the balloon-launch venture. Her involvement and outreach propelled this program into many Klamath Falls County schools as well as other schools in the State through the Oregon Space Grant Consortium. Mrs. Kehr sought and received numerous grants that provided her and her students with cutting-edge science equipment and instruments. She devoted countless hours to developing science inquiry lessons to model for other teachers. Within the Klamath County School District, she is regarded as the "science guru." Mrs. Kehr has a B.S. in elementary education from Oregon State University and is certified in elementary education. She is a National Board Certified Teacher.

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