Newtown Teacher Named Among Finalists For National Mathematics Award

NEWTOWN, CT — A Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher has been named one of three Connecticut teachers to represent the state as a 2022 Mathematics Finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Katherine Mauro is a K–4 media, technology, computer science teacher at the Newtown-based school. She will represent Connecticut for the award with Patricia Hahn, a second-grade teacher from Parkville Community School in Hartford, and Christopher Messier, a sixth-grade Math and Science teacher at Center School in Ellington.

"Congratulations to Patricia, Katherine, and Christopher on this honor that highlights their years of dedication, perseverance, and content mastery in the subjects they teach," said Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker in a statement. "They epitomize the innovative educators we have here in Connecticut and the importance of our efforts to engage students in STEM fields beginning at a young age."

From the announcement:

The names of all three educators have been forwarded to the national selection committee and are eligible to receive a PAEMST award, the nation’s highest honor for U.S. K–12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teachers. The awards program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Each year, a national committee of prominent mathematicians, scientists, mathematics/science education researchers, district level personnel, and classroom teachers recommends up to 108 teachers to receive PAEMST awards. Up to two teachers—mathematics or science—from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Territories as a group (comprising American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and schools operated in the United States and overseas by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) receive the award. Teachers who are selected as PAEMST awardees receive a trip to Washington, D.C., where they attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities. They also receive a $10,000 award from NSF, a Presidential certificate, and join an elite cohort of award-winning teachers who can influence national STEM teaching.