AHS Science Teacher Wins Presidential Award

If you spend time with educators at Avon Schools, you'll hear them refer to both the 'art' and 'science' of teaching. They strive to master both to help all students achieve to their potential.

One standout educator, Avon High School Science Teacher Lisa Kern, was recently contacted by the National Science Foundation (NSF). She learned that the White House had selected her for recognition by issuing her a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) award in the Science category. This is a highly competitive and prestigious honor, and yet another national recognition compiled at AHS.

We conducted an interview with Mrs. Kern via email. Below is our exchange, lightly edited for this format.

How long have you been teaching at AHS? What grade(s) and subject(s) do you teach?

I have been teaching at AHS since 2002, so this is my 23rd year. I attended ACSC schools for my K-12 education, graduating from AHS in 1993, so I’ve been in Avon for most of my life! I teach AP Environmental Science and Chemistry this year. I have taught many other science classes over the years, as well.

It’s very rewarding to know that what I teach continues to impact my students’ lives for years to come. Lisa Kern

How did you feel when you learned you were a PAEMST award winner? How did your loved ones, colleagues, and students respond?

I was very excited and honored to learn that I was a Presidential Award recipient! I applied back in 2021, so when they announced the winners for 2021, 2022, and 2023 last week, I was very surprised. My parents and children were excited for me. It was somewhat bittersweet because my husband, who was instrumental in supporting both my application and my career, had died in July 2023, before we found out I had won. He was the first person I wanted to share the news with. Instead, I shared it with the students in Horticulture Club since they were meeting in my classroom when I found out. My colleagues have been very supportive, of course. Former PAEMST winner, AHS physics teacher, Paul Haiducu, has been especially supportive. I don’t think I would have won the award without his guidance and help filming the application video.

What motivates you to achieve at such a high level?

Like most of us at AHS, I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching. I think Avon has developed a culture that supports teacher creativity, collaboration, and constant improvement. The PAEMST application gave me a reason to do a deep evaluation of my professional practices.

I think Avon has developed a culture that supports teacher creativity, collaboration, and constant improvement. Lisa Kern

According to the NSF, your award "reflects the significant contributions you have made to the teaching profession." You've made a big impact through your subject matter. When you reflect on your achievements and your time in the classroom, what is the contribution in which you take the most pride?

In all my classes, but especially AP Environmental Science, I believe I help students see how the natural world works, how humans interact with it, and how phenomena are interconnected. It helps them become stronger critical thinkers, and they leave the class better equipped to understand things they see on the news and in daily life. Nature is complex, but much of its behavior is comprehensible for those willing to put in the effort to study it. Students often come back to me and mention that they used the things we discussed in class to solve seemingly unrelated problems on the SAT, to write speeches for a communications class, to generate ideas in an engineering class, to discuss political issues in college, etc. It’s very rewarding to know that what I teach continues to impact my students’ lives for years to come.

Now that you've won this award, what's next?

PAEMST winners usually get a trip to Washington DC for the awards ceremony, but we’re still waiting to hear the plan for that. I’m looking forward to meeting and networking with the winners from around the US. Also, I am planning to finish visiting all 50 states in the next year or two. This award will help toward that goal.

Congratulations, Mrs. Kern, for this outstanding achievement. Thank you for all you do to help your students succeed, both in and beyond the classroom.