It’s an honor to receive the prestigious Presidential Award on behalf of the August Ahrens Elementary School community and the state. The award is a personal accomplishment and a celebration of science and math. Science and math are important for students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. I appreciate all the support I received from my school community.

Stan Mesina Waipahu, HI | K-6, Science, 2014

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

Stan Mesina has been teaching for 24 years at August Ahrens Elementary School and is presently teaching STEAM to students from kindergarten through sixth grade. He also teaches fourth, fifth, and sixth grade gifted and talented students. His varied career includes teaching third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades and the gifted and talented. His classes usually have hands-on activities that fill the air with excitement. The students are working in engineering teams to create ways to solve problems using science and mathematics as tools. Among the most meaningful of Stan’s accomplishments are the robotic competitions on which he worked with his students — including VEX-IQ, FIRST LEGO League, ROBOFEST, and SeaPerch. Other team challenges include Hawaii State Science Olympiad and the August Ahrens Elementary Science Bowl. Stan was awarded the Leeward Teacher of the Year. He has also received grants for the school totaling over $10,000. Stan earned his B.A. in communications and a professional diploma in education at the University of Hawai'i. He is currently highly qualified in elementary education.

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