SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell congratulated Dawn Marie O'Connor as a 2008 award winner for the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) Program.

"The Presidential Award is the highest recognition that a science teacher can receive," said O'Connell. "I am pleased that this outstanding science teacher from Ascencion Solorsano Middle School in Gilroy will be honored as one of the nation's best. Dawn O'Connor was selected for teaching a rigorous, standards-aligned curricula through active exploration, investigation, and experimentation. She has shown an incredible commitment to her students and to enhancing her knowledge of science. I hope that other teachers will be able to learn from her and will follow her lead."

O'Connor serves as the Science Department Chair at Ascencion Solorsano Middle School in the Gilroy Unified School District. In June of 2007, her application was reviewed by a state panel of scientists and science educators. Her application was one of two applications forwarded on to Washington, D.C. where it was reviewed by an evaluation panel convened by the National Science Foundation that coordinates the national PAEMST Program on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

On Saturday, April 26, O'Connor flies to Washington, D.C. for a week-long celebration of her accomplishments. The celebration week will culminate in a visit to the White House and the personal congratulations of the President. She will also receive a $10,000 award.

The Presidential Award program recruits outstanding science teachers from every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and schools operated worldwide by the Department of Defense Education Agency. O'Connor will join 54 other outstanding science teachers, each representing their own state or jurisdiction.

Recruitment has begun for the 2009 Presidential Awards that will recognize outstanding secondary teachers, teaching in grades seven to twelve. More information about the national program may be found PAEMST [http://www.paemst.org] (Outside Source).