BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Caldwell teacher Kristy Rudan and Rathdrum teacher Jessica LaPresta received the 2022 Industry's Excellent Educators Dedicated to STEM awards or INDEEDS for short.
Rudan won the kindergarten through sixth-grade category. She teaches sixth-grade science and English language arts at Syringa Middle School in Caldwell, and she hosts an after-school 3D printing club and stages 3D printing summer camps. This is her second year at Syringa and her 14th year teaching. Rudan began her career teaching at a small Oregon charter school that focuses on technology integration and then taught fourth and fifth grade at Sacajawea Elementary School in Caldwell.
"So many careers are STEM-related, and for kids to be exposed to that at a young age and to develop the critical thinking skills that go along with STEM learning opens a lot of career opportunities for them," Rudan said. "A lot of those careers don't even exist yet, so it's really exciting to teach them the skills they'll need to move into the future. And the most exciting part is knowing there are a lot of kids from diverse backgrounds who are having the opportunity to learn 3D printing and the engineering and design process. It's neat that diversity is being acknowledged and there are a lot of teachers who are bringing STEM into their classrooms for students of all abilities and all languages and all backgrounds."
LaPresta won the seventh through 12th-grade category. She chairs the North Idaho STEM Charter Academy's math department. This is her eighth year teaching mathematics, including dual-credit college algebra and analytic trigonometry, at the Rathdrum school. She also teaches business technology, financial literacy, and senior project and serves on the faculty of North Idaho College as a math instructor.
"Our students need to be able to think on their own and strategize through problems when they get out in the real world," LaPresta said. "So when I get questions like, 'When will I ever use this,' I honestly tell them they may never use something like factoring trinomials in the real world, but the ability to think on your own is so important. You're building this personal knowledge to take it to a higher degree, so I think the content they're learning and the foundational pieces they're building through the years is all helping them become better citizens in any job that they have -- to be more successful, to be better thinkers and learners and community members later on. STEM education is important because it enables our students to be productive citizens in our communities."
Both educators will receive checks for $2,000 and up to $2,000 more to attend any STEM-related national conference, and their schools will receive $2,000 each to fund science, technology, engineering and math initiatives. Idaho STEM Action Center, Vynyl, Battelle Energy Alliance, the Micron Foundation, the Discovery Center of Idaho, Idaho Power and Trailhead are providing the prize package.
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