Being honored with the Presidential Award is an exhilarating and humbling experience. Receiving this award provides validation of my dedication and commitment to providing quality, authentic science experiences for my students. It also serves as a challenge to continue to provide meaningful instruction in order to grow our children into global leaders. This award is a testament to those who have mentored and supported me as well as the amazing students who fuel my passion every day.

Teresa Gross Greenwood, IN | K-6, Science, 2012

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

Teresa Gross has been an elementary teacher for 23 years. She has spent the past 12 years teaching fifth grade at Westwood Elementary School in the Greenwood Community School Corporation.  Previously, she had taught kindergarten.  Teresa inspires a passion for science in her students outside the classroom. She is the Director and instructor for Club Invention, an 8-week afterschool science program. For the past 7 years, she has been serving as a director for Camp Invention, a summer science camp for kindergartners through sixth graders. In recognition of her efforts to bring authentic science to her students, Teresa has been awarded two Lilly Science Outreach grants. Science in a Bag provides 30 backpacks containing experiments to be conducted at home that rotate through the classroom each week. Authentic Science creates simulations for the classroom, ranging from contaminated water to crime scenes, that students must investigate, explore, and analyze. Teresa is an IPL Golden Apple Award winner for science, an Indiana Teacher of the Year semifinalist, and a Disney’s American Teacher nominee. Teresa has a B.A., summa cum laude, in elementary education from Purdue University and an M.A. in education from Ball State University. She is certified in elementary education and gifted and talented education.

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