I feel truly honored and blessed to receive the Presidential Award, and view it as testament to the exemplary teachers, colleagues, and students that have molded me into the scientist and educator that I am today. This award will serve as a platform to encourage other teachers to pursue innovation and creativity in the classroom, and inspire students to actively pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

Derrick Wood Berwyn, PA | 7-12, Science, 2013

The official biography below was current at the time of the award. For this awardee's latest biographical information, see their profile page.

Derrick Wood has been a teacher at Conestoga High School for 11 years. In addition to teaching Accelerated, Honors, and Advanced Placement Chemistry to 10th-12th graders, he has taught sections of a science independent study course that he co-developed in 2011. Authenticity in the classroom is Derrick’s passion. He articulates this through demonstrations, creative applications, as well as case studies and inquiry based labs. He extends his enthusiasm for research and learning as a teacher and mentor for students performing independent study in science. Derrick authored the AP Chemistry review book AP Chemistry All Access, which highlights authentic applications of chemistry in addition to problem solving strategies and content review. He also served as the editor for AP Chemistry Crash Course. He has given numerous presentations on authentic lab investigations at national conventions for both the American Chemical Society and the National Science Teachers Association. Derrick has been head coach of Conestoga’s award winning Science Olympiad Team since 2005, and serves on his district’s standing committees on science and technology. Derrick has a B.A. in chemistry from Drew University, a Master’s degree in chemistry education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a M.Ed. with leadership emphasis from Cabrini College. He is certified in secondary chemistry, and as a K-12 principal.

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