The Presidential Science Award is the absolute icing on the cake! Next year will be my final year of teaching and I can think of nothing else that thrills me as much as to receive such an honor. I graduated eighth grade from a one room country school house. Being able to shake the hand of the President of the United States because of my science teaching would be almost unbelievable. I love my profession and what I do, and this is the ultimate icing on cake!

Janet Wagner Tyndall, SD | 7-12, Science, 2013

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

Janet Wagner has been an educator for more than 40 years and has spent the last 15 years teaching seventh grade Life Science, eight grade Earth Science, and ninth grade Physical Science at the Bon Homme School. Janet has also taught in the Tripp-Delmont School District and Harrisburg School District, both in South Dakota. Janet's love for teaching goes far beyond the classroom with her involvement in organizing and raising funds for field trips for her students. The field trips have included overnight field trips in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the State Capital, the Omaha Zoo, live productions at the Orpheum Theatre, and Worlds of Fun Science Days. She enjoys showing her students that science and life are much more than the text book. She has taken teams to state competition in both Olympics of the Mind and the Odyssey of the Mind. These teams have been very successful. Students have learned that application of science principles is fun, and learning to work as a team with hands-on problems is both challenging and rewarding. Janet has served as both the middle school liaison and high school liaison for the South Dakota Science Teachers Association. Janet has a B.S., cum laude, in education from the University of South Dakota-Springfield. She is certified to teach chemistry, physics, earth science, biology, mathematics, physical education, and gifted education.

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