Former Cary-Grove High Teacher Receives Presidential Award

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A former Cary-Grove High School teacher is among the 108 mathematics and science teachers who were named as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by President Obama on Wednesday.

This year’s awardees represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The educators will receive their awards at a Washington, DC, event later this summer.

Rebecca Vieyra is one of the two teachers in Illinois to receive the prestigious teaching award. Adlai Stevenson High School teacher Darshan Jain was the other Illinois recipient.

Vieyra, who is currently serving as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C., taught for six years at Cary-Grove before being accepted for the fellowship, the Daily Herald reports.

“I’m flattered and honored to have received it,” she told the Daily Herald. “It’s not just about the award. It’s about the high standards.”

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded annually to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country.

The winners are selected by a panel of scientists, mathematicians, and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching 7th through 12th grades. The awardees named Wednesday teach 7th through 12th grade.

Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They also are invited to Washington, DC, for an awards ceremony, as well educational and celebratory events, and visits with members of the Administration.

“These teachers are shaping America’s success through their passion for math and science,” Obama said in a statement. “Their leadership and commitment empower our children to think critically and creatively about science, technology, engineering, and math. The work these teachers are doing in our classrooms today will help ensure that America stays on the cutting edge tomorrow.”