I am humbled and honored to be among the amazing educators who have received the Presidential Award. It authenticates the inquiry-based teaching methods I have worked to utilize in my classes. This award is also a testament to my fellow teachers, administrators, and students who have challenged me to keep learning. Finally, it gives me the opportunity to work with distinguished educators and policymakers to learn more, and to effect positive change.

Barbara-Ann Adcock Powhatan, VA | K-6, Science, 2014

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

Barbara-Ann Adcock has been an educator for 29 years, and has taught kindergarten through fifth grade. For six years, she taught second grade through fourth grade as a mathematics and science STEM Academy teacher at Pocahontas Elementary School. She currently holds the position of STEM Coach for the Powhatan County School System. As a classroom teacher, Barbara-Ann worked to create a student-centered, inquiry-based classroom, with many opportunities for hands-on science, experimentation, and applications in children’s engineering. She also worked with her students to create an outdoor classroom where her students learned to be stewards of their environment. Barbara-Ann’s awards include the Brown Fellowship from the Library of Virginia where she researched the recently published "Flora of Virginia." As a Brown Fellow, she created STEM-based lessons for kindergarten through fifth grade where students can meet learning standards outdoors in all areas of the curriculum. She has led professional development workshops across the state in the model of train-the-trainer workshops. Barbara-Ann is also the current president of the Virginia Children’s Engineering Council and the membership chairman of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers. Barbara-Ann has a B.S. in elementary education, with High Honors, from the University of Virginia.  

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