When I began working on my application for this award, I had to explain on several occasions that, indeed, kindergarten is an appropriate place for scientific inquiry. There still seems to be somewhat of a general assumption that kindergarten is all fluffy bunny letters and numbers, and while the Presidential Award is an incredible honor for me and my dedication to my work, I see it more as a validation and a celebration of the capabilities of my young students!

Bryan Lake Urbana, IL | K-6, Science, 2012

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

Bryan Lake taught kindergarten at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary for 5 of his past 10 years.  He has just accepted a new position in the Urbana School District as an Instructional Coach. He believes that the natural curiosity of kindergartners makes them the best scientists and that by integrating science teaching and learning into other academic areas, he can harness that curiosity to help students make natural connections throughout their learning. Bryan has been part of the Entrepreneurial Leadership in STEM Teaching Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), gaining and sharing new ideas for making science more accessible to young students and building partnerships with other teachers and the community.  A recent partnership that Bryan initiated with UIUC architecture students resulted in a project that used recycled materials to design and create new structures.  He led a schoolwide effort to develop the school courtyard into an outdoor life science lab. Bryan currently serves on the committee preparing for the release of the Next Generation Science Standards. He leads workshops for local teachers to help them with the new science and engineering content and practices. Bryan has a B.A. in American studies and an elementary certification from Grinnell College. He received National Board Certification in 2009.

Know a great teacher like Bryan Lake?