Summit Teacher Wins Presidential Excellence Award

SUMMIT, NJ - The White House named Summit Ralph Steven Pantozzi a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

PAEMST are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching.

You can read more about Ralph Steven Pantozzi by going to https://www.paemst.org/recognition.

The White House has also issued a release on the newest awardees, which you can view here.

With this award, teachers will receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation; a certificate signed by the President; and trip to Washington, D.C. to celebrate their accomplishments. While they are in D.C., they will participate in professional development activities and network with fellow STEM educators from across the nation.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Up to 108 teachers are recognized each year.

Presidential Awardees receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States; a trip to Washington D.C. to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities; and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

Awardees also join an active network of outstanding educators from throughout the nation. Since 1983, more than 5,000 teachers have been recognized for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession. Awardees reflect the expertise and dedication of the Nation’s teaching corps, and they demonstrate the positive impact of excellent teachers on student achievement.

Pantozzi represents the most outstanding teachers America has to offer and serves as both a model and an inspiration to students and fellow teachers, officials said.

"The legacy of past Awardees means the Award is both an honor and a challenge to make last year's innovation a part of my regular teaching routine and to innovate again. To listen to students more attentively – spot talents we both may have missed. To share lessons with colleagues, supporting each other and reaching more students," Pantozzi. "To question our assumptions about who does what mathematics and when. To advocate for meaningful mathematics in the educational community and society at large."

Pantozzi began his teaching career in 1992 at Hightstown High School, and for 19 years taught 6-12th-grade students and supervised instruction in the New Jersey schools. For the past eight years, he has served as a teacher and department chair at the Kent Place School and currently teaches 11-12th-grade Advanced Placement Calculus AB and Research in Advanced Mathematics.

Early in his career, Pantozzi contributed to National Science Foundation-funded research projects, learning that listening attentively to students’ ideas is central to good teaching. In Pantozzi’s classrooms, students talk, investigate phenomena using physical objects and technological tools, pose questions, and choose their own mathematical adventures. Pantozzi advocates for learning environments where students and teachers construct knowledge together.

Pantozzi is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). He has worked to share inclusive and effective teaching practices through NCTM, as well as projects with Rutgers University, the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey, Key Curriculum Press, and the National Museum of Mathematics.

Pantozzi earned a B.A. in mathematics from Rutgers College, and an Ed.M. and Ed.D. in mathematics education from Rutgers University. He is certified as 6-12 mathematics teacher and K-12 supervisor.

For more information about PAEMST, call (855) 723-6780 (PAEMST-0) or email the PAEMST team at info@paemst.org.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.