ASTA Arkansas Science Teachers Association
Mission: To support Arkansas Science Educators
TEACHERS ARE SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT!
LET'S CELEBRATE!
Check out all the great things happening in schools around our state because of educators who are dedicated to their students!
If you would like to have someone featured on the ASTA website because of an awards or something they are doing in their classroom, then please submit your information here: whitneymajor139@gmail.com
Congratulations to Matt Holden
Teachers Fellowship
He will patcipate this year along with other teachers around the nation, in the Global Exploration for Educators Organization Kenya 2025 Expedition, which includes wildlife safaris and immersive cultural experiences with indigenous communities, to create authentic student experiences focused on the cultural significance of environmental conservation.
Matt Holden
2025 Science Communication Fellow
Matt Holden from Fayetteville High School has been selected by Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) as a 2025 Science Communication Fellow. Holden, [who originally hails from North Little Rock, AR], will sail aboard OET’s Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus this summer as part of a deep ocean exploration team and bring the excitement of exploration to learners in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and worldwide.
Matt Holden was selected from a worldwide pool of applicants and will join a cohort of 11 Fellows from schools, science centers, and non-profit organizations across the Pacific and North America. Holden will join OET in July and August, exploring the deep sea environments around the Republic of the Marshall Islands: an atoll-based country in the Central Pacific of over 1,200 islands surrounded by 2.13 million square kilometers of ocean, the vast majority of which has never been mapped or surveyed.
Congratulations PAEMST Finalist for Science in Arkansas 2025
Two Arkansas teachers were recently selected as 2025 Science State Finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
The National Science Foundation, on behalf of the White House, oversees the program that recognizes outstanding teachers who have demonstrated a commitment to professional development, innovative teaching techniques, and the use of technology in their classrooms.
The 2025 PAEMST cycle was for STEM teachers of 7th through 12th grades. The Arkansas-PAEMST Selection Panel selected two teachers for the 2025 state PAEMST finalists: The Arkansas’ finalists are now eligible to be considered for recognition by the national committee.
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Angela Miller, Greenbrier Middle School, Greenbrier School District
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Whitney Major, Lakeside High School, Lakeside School District
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2023 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Mary Maris
Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock, AR
Science
2022 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Courtney Selph
Izard County Elementary School
Brockwell, AR
Science
2021 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Patrycja Krakowiak-Valdivia
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts
Hot Springs, AR
Science
2024 Teacher of the Year
Congratulations on being selected as the 2024 Teacher of the Year for Fayetteville High School and Fayetteville Schools! This is a great achievement and a testament to your hard work and dedication education. Your coworkers, mentors, and students must be proud of you. Keep up the good work! #teacheroftheyeareducation #science.
Mental Health
Champion
Arisa Health has named Cabot High School's Kim Usery as a 2024 Mental Health Champion in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week!
Bringing Science Inside
Chance Duncan - Springdale School District
Chance Duncan, a science teacher from Russellville, visited fifth-graders at Rollins School of Innovation. He brought live animals, including endangered snakes that he and his class have bred. Duncan reproduced the endangered Louisiana Pine Snake in his classroom over a few years with his students. He brought those snakes to the school and talked about the process they went through to make that happen and tie it into our standards on ecosystems. #SpringdaleFamily
WC pupils use VR for science exams
Cameran Faucette’s human anatomy and honors biology classes at Watson Chapel High School use advanced technology to enhance learn- ing.
In his first- and third-pe- riod classes, students were given the opportunity to use the PSVR2, a virtual reali- ty helmet for PlayStation 5, to take their semester exam using Human Anatomy VR software. The exam required students to demonstrate their mastery of the skeletal system by identifying the position and function of random bones as Faucette indicated.
Students in Faucette’s sixth-period honors biology were required to create a 3-D model of a plant or animal cell using TinkerCAD software.
In addition, they also were to add all corresponding cell or- ganelles to their models. Once ready, the students presented the models to the class and gave a persuasive sales pitch to convince Faucette to pur- chase their model over others.
Bringing Local Careers to the Classroom
Jared McBride, from Lakeside High School, took 16 Lakeside high school students to Reynolds Manufacturing for an insightful session on manufacturing careers in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Students were given a tour of the facility, spoke to employees, from operations to management, and had the opportunity to speak with the plant assistant manager, Jason Hicks. The visit, complemented by a facility tour and pizza, showcased the potential for $40 per hour earnings without a college degree. The students were captivated by this revelation, and expressed surprise and interest that they could be offered a job like this with great pay and benefits. Overall, the experience left a lasting impression, opening students' eyes to lucrative manufacturing opportunities in their area. Lakeside is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and Gary Troutman to showcase opportunities students have locally for a career in their future!
Bimini Biological 2023 Teacher Scholar
Matt Holden
Congratulations to Matt Holden for receiving recognition as a 2023 Teacher & Educator Scholars! Bimini Biological Field Station - Shark Lab is thrilled to be offering two Teacher & Educator Naturalist Courses this year, thanks to the support of the @OceanMokum Foundation and the @saveourseasfoundation. Matt will be working with sharks this summer to learn the biology and ecology needed for them to survive!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN MID-LEVEL DIRECTOR
JACKIE SCOTT
She has been awarded the EPA’s Region 6 Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) and will travel to Washington D.C. to receive the award on August 3, 2023.
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She will receive the Presidential award plaque, an award of up to $2,500 to be used to further her professional development in environmental education, and a congratulatory letter from a senior official from EPA and/or the White House.
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Physics and Engineering
Lakeside High School
Nine girls from Lakeside High School attended the Women in STEM Competition in Little Rock, AR! They heard from so many inspirational women working in STEM around the state and presented to a panel of judges their work! They did great and walked away with a beautiful experience!
Richa Patel and Dulaney Fennewald brought home the ARDOT STEM program, First Place in Bridge Engineering. Their bridge held over 50lbs without breaking!
Jackie Scott
Mann Middle School Magnet
AEEA provides mini grants to schools and nonprofit organizations that are providing environmental and outdoor education around the state.
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Scott received the mini grant to help with the school's native plant garden.
Stephanie Long
Turnbow Elementary
Third grade students at Turnbow Elementary Zoomed with a United States Space Force Guardian as part of the STEM to Space program. Students met 1st Lieutenant Nathaniel Aune. Lt. Aune is a Range Operations Commander, providing range safety and day of launch support for all rocket launches out of the Eastern Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Students learned about the role of STEM in space and military careers and the importance of a great education, starting in elementary school. #STEMtoSpace #SprindaleFamily
STEM Research Grant
Congratulations to Fayetteville High School teacher Matt Holden and your Northwest Director on being awarded a STEM Research Grant from the Society for Science. This grant will be used to empower students with hands-on STEM experiences.
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Matt was born and raised in Arkansas and has a strong passion for science and the environment. He has worked for state and federal agencies conducting scientific research focused primarily on ecology and wildlife conservation. As an educator, he strives to implement real-world, authentic lessons, taken from past experiences conducting scientific research, into his instructional program to help students see the importance of science in their everyday lives.