SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today nominated five outstanding secondary mathematics and science teachers as California finalists for the 2013 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
The math nominees are Marianne Chowning-Dray, an Algebra II and trigonometry teacher at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, San Mateo County; Michelle Rene Katz, an Advanced Placement (AP) calculus teacher at Northridge Academy High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles County; and Andrew Walter, a pre-calculus teacher at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in the Stockton Unified School District, San Joaquin County.
The science nominees are Amanda Alonzo, a biology teacher at Lynbrook High School in the Fremont Union High School District, Santa Clara County; and Scott Holloway, a physics teacher at Westlake High School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Ventura County.
"These remarkable teachers and their colleagues around the state play a central role in preparing students for college or career," Torlakson said. "Science and math education is crucial not only to our students' futures, but also to California's future as a leader in innovation and opportunity. All students need a solid foundation in these rapidly expanding fields to succeed in a global economy."
The California Department of Education (CDE) partnered with the California Science Teachers Association and the California Mathematics Council to recruit and select nominees for the PAEMST program—the highest recognition in the nation for a mathematics or science teacher. Each applicant must demonstrate a mastery of math or science, appropriate use of instructional methods and strategies, effective use of assessment strategies, lifelong learning, and leadership in education outside the classroom. Each candidate also was required to submit a 45-minute video lesson in support of their application. State finalists were selected by a review panel of their peers who reviewed each candidate's content knowledge, pedagogical effectiveness, achievement results, and professional involvement.
Mathematics Finalists
The first mathematics finalist, Marianne Chowning-Dray, has 22 years teaching experience and has taught at the private Eastside College Preparatory School since 2007. Eastside College Preparatory educates students historically underrepresented in high education. Chowning-Dray also has taught in public schools in Palo Alto, California; Mercer Island, Washington; and Essex Junction, Vermont. She is a graduate of Stanford University, where she earned her master's in the Stanford Teacher Education Program, and Smith College. In her video lesson, Chowning-Dray taught about the radian measure of an angle.
The second mathematics nominee, Michelle Katz, is a founding math teacher at Northridge Academy High School, a comprehensive high school that opened in 2004 in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and is operated in partnership with California State University, Northridge. Katz has received National Board Certification and has devoted her teaching career to the LAUSD, which she joined in 1992. She is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, where she received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. In her video lesson, Katz demonstrated multiple mathematical formulations for expressing rates of change over time.
The third mathematics finalist, Andrew Walter, teaches mathematics at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in the Stockton Unified School District, where he has worked for 20 years. Walter currently serves as the school's Mathematics Department Chair and also serves as a Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) advisor for pre-engineering students at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Walter emphasizes innovative thinking and mathematical and engineering principles. Walter holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of the Pacific and a Master of Science in Integrating Technology from Walden University. In his video lesson, Walter linked academic language to equations, graphs, derivatives, and limits.
Science Finalists
Amanda Alonzo is a biology teacher at Lynbrook High School in the Fremont Union High School District in San Jose, where she has taught since 2002. In addition to teaching biology and human physiology courses, Alonzo also coaches students who compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair—20 of whom have been named "outstanding finalist." Recently, Alonzo began an integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research course that is open to any student in grades nine through twelve. Students design an original STEM research project and then work with Alonzo to carry it out. Alonzo has a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from Pitzer College and a Master of Arts in Science Education from Stanford University. Her video focused on a ninth-grade biology course, and her lesson topic was "Evidence to Support the Theory of Evolution and Alternative Argumentative Essays."
Scott Holloway is a physics teacher at Westlake High School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District, where he has taught for five years. Prior to coming to Westlake High, Holloway taught chemistry in the Los Angeles Unified School District for nine years. When he arrived at Westlake High, only 13 students enrolled for AP Physics, and the district discussed eliminating the course. In 2012-13, 150 students registered for the AP Physics course, and his students had a pass rate on the rigorous AP exam of 98 percent. Holloway's students also are active in the American Association of Physics Teachers Physics Olympiad and the regional Physics Bowl. Holloway advises the campus Robotics Club, which has been successful in regional competitions. Holloway holds a Master of Arts in Science Education from California State University, Northridge; a Single Subject Credential in Physics from the same institution, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His video lesson focused on "angular accelerations due to torques acting on the object and dependent upon the moment of inertia."
The National Science Foundation administers PAEMST on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. PAEMST was enacted by Congress in 1983 and authorizes the President each year to bestow up to 108 awards. PAEMST awards primary and secondary teachers in alternate years. Awards are given to mathematics and science teachers from each of the 50 states and four U.S. jurisdictions including Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; Department of Defense Schools; and the U.S. territories.
Since the program's inception, 84 California teachers have been named PAEMST recipients. Please visit the PAEMST 
Web site for additional information. (Please note that the 2012 national recipients have yet to be announced.) 
