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Two Oahu science teachers received Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education this year, while the nonprofit Hawaii Academy of Sciences was recognized for its mentorship efforts.
Crystal Doi was praised for her work at Nuuanu Elementary School and Wrayna Fairchild was recognized for her teaching at Voyager Public Charter School.
Each recipient received a $10,000 prize and a certificate signed by President Joe Biden.
The Presidential Awards are the highest recognition K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math teachers can get from the federal government. The awards program alternates each year between honoring teachers in grades K-6 and those in grades 7-12. This year, the first was recognized.
Doi, a teacher for 15 years, was nominated for her work at Nuuanu Elementary, where she created and led the STEM curriculum for all grades. She was the teacher coordinator of the school’s gardening and nutrition program, which was part of the ‘Aina in Schools’ initiative.
While in Nuuanu, Doi also received her state STEM license, became nationally certified by the National Institute for STEM Education, and was nominated for the LifeChanger of the Year award. She now teaches at Kapunahala Elementary School in Kaneohe.
Fairchild has been an educator for 17 years at various schools and currently teaches STEM at Voyager K-6. She has been recognized for leading her students to learn through design thinking and the natural environment.
Fairchild’s innovative teaching methods have earned it numerous accolades, including the Voya Unsung Heroes Award, the Mental Floss Innovators in Teaching Platypus Award, and the Henry Ford Teacher Innovator Award.
The Hawaii Academy of Science is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1925 that features programs such as the Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair and the Pacific Symposium for Science & Sustainability.
“I am deeply grateful for the inspiration that American teachers and mentors provide every day to support the next generation of STEM professionals,” Biden said in a statement last week announcing the 117 honorees. “The work that teachers and mentors do ensures that the children of our country are able to open up – for themselves and for all of us – a world of possibility.”
