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Zulay Joa, Teacher, Glenallan ES with Volunteer Craig Koralek
My name is Zulay Joa and I have been a STEM educator in Montgomery County for 14 years. During this time I've had the opportunity to collaborate with Mr. Craig Koralek. Mr. Koralek is a retired Environmental Engineer and AAAS volunteer who has dedicated his time to supporting the STEM Academy program at Glenallan Elementary. Mr. Koralek not only provides professional insight and academic support to students in grades K-5, but he also sparks their interest and curiosity in science and engineering by engaging the students in meaningful conversations and also, by motivating them to participate in class engineering challenges. Mr. Koralek is a wonderful asset to our school community and most importantly to our students. Mr. Koralek is not only a volunteer but also a great friend and colleague.
-Zulay Joa, STEM Focus Teacher/Coordinator K-5, Fourth Grade Math Instructor, Glenallan ES
STEAM Volunteers at Churchill HS:
Having STEM volunteers in our classrooms at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac Maryland has been a pleasure. The efforts Sid Bakaya and David Chen bring to the school create a community approach to learning.
I taught a section of AP Java a couple of years ago and was so thankful for David’s presence in the classroom. In addition to teaching, teachers need to monitor students’ behavior and take care of administrative duties. Having David in the classroom helped by supporting student learning during the class instead of during a lunch help session. David would help students troubleshoot their Java and Python computer programs and offer advice on how to use different programming constructs effectively.
Sid has been a calming presence at Churchill. He walks around the classroom, listens to what students are trying to accomplish, and then provides insights that may not be apparent to teenagers. He encourages students to persevere when they feel like nothing is going to work. Sid also provides advice on the next steps to take after college if students want to go on to an internship during high school.
-Marla Rudnick, Technology Teacher, Churchill HS
I’ve been a STEM teacher at Winston Churchill High School for the past 13 years and I have found the STEAM Volunteer Program to be extremely beneficial to me and my students. Sidhartha Bakaya has volunteered in my engineering classes for the past year and he has been an invaluable resource in the classroom. Sid has helped students in a variety of ways, including sharing his engineering knowledge and expertise, discussing students’ projects with them individually and as a team, giving suggestions to optimize their product, and providing alternatives for them to explore. Sid questions the students about their ideas and their project approach, he helps them to apply the engineering design process, and he provides information on various engineering disciplines in order to help them better understand what will be involved for specific majors in college. Sid also shares information with the students about engineering summer internship positions. He is an invaluable resource to me as an engineering teacher, by providing me with background knowledge based on his prior engineering experiences. This enables me to better support my students as they complete course projects. I’m so grateful for Sid’s help and for the STEAM program’s support of STEM teachers. We couldn’t do it without him!
-Rebecca Smith, Computer Science and Engineering Teacher, Churchill HS
David Chen has been a volunteer in my Computer Science classes for over 6 years. Prior to that he worked with my predecessor as well. He knows most of my assignments forwards and backwards, and he's an invaluable resource for the students. David is the person we all ask to find the weird errors or the mistakes that are hard to find. Students love his help because he explains things well, and if he can't figure it out before the class ends, he'll keep working on it and let me know the issue so I can tell the student. David completes the assignments before the students do, so he's familiar with what mistakes they can make, and he's happy to share his way of solving the problem. David is an asset to me as well, because if I have any technical coding questions I go to him first. David usually knows, or he's happy to look it up and figure it out with me. It's wonderful to have another adult in the room that's able to help with coding issues. We appreciate having his help each year. Several times at Back to School Night I've even had parents ask if Mr. Chen will be volunteering again this year 🙂
-Mrs. Kate Pomeroy, Computer Science Teacher, Churchill HS
Teacher Britani Greco
Sherwood HS
STEAM Volunteer Rob Thomas
Sherwood HS
Sherwood HS Science teachers Mary Baker, Michael Miehl, Cathy Cross
The Montgomery County K-12 STEM Volunteers are an EXCELLENT resource for teachers and students! Each volunteer brings a level of expertise, experience, and extra knowledge that enrich our curriculum and increase our students' learning and overall understanding of the subject matter. The volunteers also show by example what kinds of jobs are available in the STEM field and how cool the STEM profession really is! My classroom volunteer, Rob Thomas has been an invaluable resource both in & out of the classroom environment and has helped many students and inspired them to pursue STEM courses after high school. I am so grateful to Montgomery County K-12 STEM Volunteers program and all they contribute to education!
-Britani Greco, Chemistry & Environmental Science, Sherwood High School
STEAM Volunteers at Viers Mill Elementary School:
I am a fourth grade teacher at Viers Mill Elementary School and have been lucky enough to work with Jackie Lewis & Bill Levitan for the past few years. I didn't know what to expect when I learned that we would be getting a volunteer in our classroom to help share their knowledge in science, but I was excited to welcome anyone who might be able to supplement our curriculum with their own real-life experiences in the field. To say that we hit the jackpot with Jackie & Bill is an understatement! Jackie was assigned to us first and she has brought so much knowledge and enthusiasm into our classrooms. She has great ideas and offers to prepare/figure out the materials we need to make them come to life. Our students look forward to gaining a deeper understanding and learning with hands-on activities when Jackie is with us. It hasn't stopped there because a couple of years ago, Bill started to work with us as well! He has taken us on erosion hikes, waded in water with us, and also brings so much enthusiasm and knowledge for everything that we are doing. Jackie and Bill are very ready to do whatever they can to motivate our students to find a love for science. We are very lucky to be able to work with them!
-Jennifer Schneider, Teacher, Viers Mill ES
I am currently a teacher at Viers Mill Elem. School which has been a Title 1 school for over 10 years. Our school has a very diverse population with more than 70% of our students coming from families where English is not their native language. We also have approximately 70% of our students receiving free and reduced meals. With a population like this, it is imperative that our instructional program is top notch. Our teachers must be highly knowledgeable in all subject areas and at the same time, they must be able to deliver differentiated instruction to students with learning disabilities, students who are English language learners and highly gifted students all in the same classroom. For all of the above mentioned reasons, I found our two classroom volunteers, Bill Levitan and Jackie Lewis , retired scientists, HIGHLY valuable for a multitude of reasons. Both Bill and Jackie planned lessons for us, assisted with differentiated instruction in Science and Math, attended and planned field trips with us, co-taught lessons, helped with grant-writing, donated money and props for hands-on investigations and experiences and the list goes on and on. Our classes were enriched by their presence and assistance immeasurably. I could not possibly find the words to express our gratitude. Students built strong relationships with them and learned from their small group instructional time most critically. I learned from them in numerous ways about scientific principles and ways in which we might introduce new concepts to students.
-Kristin McNavage, General and Special Educator, PEP Parent Educator, Viers Mill ES and Stephen Knolls ES
Beverly Farms ES Teacher Liisa Balzar with STEAM Volunteer Debby Vivari
Topics covered last year were zero (the most important number in the universe), tic-tac-toe (how many games? strategy? variations on the game), the 4 color map problem and paradoxes, a variation on the famous 2 person game NIM and strategy, and finally the Golden Ratio, Fibonacci numbers and math in art and nature. Every week ended with a brain teaser to solve for the week, and we discussed the answer at the beginning of the next week.
Liisa – My class is always so happy to see time with Mrs. V on the schedule. She clearly loves math and that is felt by the kids too. The class was always engaged and interested in the lessons Debby presented. She has done a great job of writing lessons for this age group. They eagerly respond to thinking about Math in different ways. I appreciate Debby’s flexibility as we work to schedule our lessons. We look forward to another year of enriching math ideas from Debby.
We both think this is a great program and would work well in other schools.
-Debby and Liisa
Baker MS Teacher RJ Rose with STEM Volunteer Miguel Mitchell:
I am writing to recognize Dr. Miguel Mitchell for his outstanding service as a volunteer at John T. Baker Middle School. His work has strengthened the connection between classroom instruction and real-world scientific practice, directly supporting our mission to engage students in authentic STEM learning.
Dr. Mitchell collaborates regularly with our Science and STEM teachers to plan lessons that align with our curriculum and extend beyond it. He helps students explore Chemistry, Engineering and Design, and Astronomy through inquiry, experimentation, and discussion. His expertise allows students to see how scientific concepts apply to real-world challenges.
Beyond his time and mentorship, Dr. Mitchell has generously donated equipment to enhance our STEM labs. His contributions have expanded hands-on opportunities for students and elevated the quality of our instructional resources.
Dr. Mitchell reflects the core purpose of the MCPS STEM Volunteer Program: connecting professional expertise with classroom learning to inspire curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving. His enthusiasm, professionalism, and commitment to education make a lasting impact on both students and staff.
It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Mitchell, and our school community is deeply grateful for his partnership. Please feel free to contact me if you would like additional information about his work with our program.
Sincerely,
Richard Rose
Science Teacher
John T. Baker Middle School
Montgomery County Public Schools
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