Skip to main content

Columbia Business Monthly

SC STEM Educator of the Year Finalists Announced on Pi Day

On this Pi Day, SC Future Minds, S2TEM Centers, the STEM Development Foundation, and Comporium are delighted to announce the finalists for the inaugural SC STEM Educator of the Award. Selected by a panel of judges from leading STEM companies, including Dominium Energy, Michelin North America, BMW Manufacturing Co., Duke Energy, as well as STEM education specialists, the finalists hail from five regions of the state and represent the finest in STEM ingenuity and innovation. 

The STEM Educator of the Year award honors educators who are making a significant difference in the lives of students across the state by providing an excellent curriculum, encouraging lifelong learning, and inspiring a passion for STEM beyond the classroom and into the future. A grand-prize winner will be selected from the five finalists and announced at the State House on STEM Education Day, April 9, 2019. 

SC Future Minds received hundreds of nominations for the award, which is sponsored by Comporium, a family owned regional telecommunications company based in Rock Hill, SC. Every nominee was noted for bringing enthusiasm and energy to their students through STEM projects, curricula, and teaching techniques. Finalists were selected from a competitive shortlist of 58 applications.

STEM educators throughout South Carolina are sparking creative and analytical thinking in their students, preparing them for a fast-evolving economy and workforce. The STEM Educator of the Year Award was created to recognize their leadership and incentivize more professionals to become STEM educators. 

Each of the following finalists will receive $1,000; the first ever, SC STEM Educator will receive $5,000 and funds for participating in a professional learning conference: 

Coastal Pee Dee Region: Deborah Chapman, Science Lab Teacher, Delmae Heights Elementary School in Florence School District One

Western Region Finalist: Cecilia Kelly, Project Lead the Way Master Teacher (PLTW), Mid-Carolina Middle School in Newberry County School District

Midlands Region Finalist: Warren Wise, Science Teacher, Kelly Mill Middle School, Richland School District Two

Upstate Regional Finalist: Jeffrey Young, Science and Technology Facilitator & Gifted and Talented Teacher, Woodland Heights Elementary School, Spartanburg School District Six

Lowcountry Regional Finalist: Tracey Mays, STEM, Gift and Talented, Geometry Honors, 6 - 8 Math, and GATE Teacher, Gregg Middle School, Dorchester School District Two