Germantown teacher earns award
Germantown High School’s LeShundra Young has earned the nation’s highest honor for teachers of mathematics and science.
Young was the winner of the 2020 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) based on her institutional practices, professional teaching development, outreach, and impact.
“It was very overwhelming, exciting, and unexpected since it’s such a prestigious award,” said Young, a teacher of biology and Biology I at Germantown. “I didn’t even know about the award until I was nominated. I was emailed about it and I had to fill out a lot of information to prove I was a certified teacher.”
Young said the process for this award took a while and was very rigorous, but was worth it in the end.
“We had to submit letters of recommendation, evidence of student growth, and other things to be critiqued such as teaching styles. That’s sent to the state level, then the judges pick out the finalists,” she said. “I was one of the four finalists. The National Science Teaching Association panel judged the finalists, and I was one of two winners. The other was Shani Bourn, a science teacher at Hancock High School.”
Young said the award came with a $10,000 cash prize and a trip to Washington, D.C., complete with a tour of the White House.
“The trip was postponed due to COVID-19, so the official date right now is up in the air,” she said. “When we do go, however, we’ll have a chance to tour the White House and meet a representative of the President’s Cabinet.”
Young said this award really opened her eyes and gives her more opportunities to become a better teacher and work with the other winners to spread her knowledge and skills.
“All of this has really made me want to improve my skills and meet the other winners and work with them to help them become better teachers too,” she said.
Wesley Quick, principal at Germantown, was not surprised at all to see Young win the award.
“No one that’s ever been inside her classroom was or would be surprised to hear she won this,” Quick said. “She is a highly engaging teacher, and I am thankful that she can represent our staff and the effort they put in for our school every day.”
Quick said he was the one that originally nominated Young for the award back in 2019.
“She’s been with us for eight years, going on her ninth, and you never know what you’re going to get when you walk into her classroom,” he said. “She is very creative, she does songs, skits, and other unique things when she teaches. She’s very passionate about not only her teaching but also the science content she covers.”
Quick noted that he wanted to make sure the people in Mississippi and the United States know what Young teaches and what she’s like.
“She’s already well known in this area, and she’ll be able to share her passion with the other winners and colleges,” he said. “The award and level of it speaks for itself, and seeing her students and friends congratulate her for this speaks volumes.”