Nakos

Ms Anna Nakos, an Assistant Principal at Temple Christian College, Adelaide, received a BH Neumann Award from Trust Executive Director Peter Taylor at a function at the Scarth Room, University House, Australian National University, Canberra on Saturday 29 May 2004.

Anna receives her Award from Professor Taylor.

Anna with her sister Stacey.

Citation

Anna was born to Greek immigrant parents and attended schools in Adelaide, including Adelaide High School, where she received inspiration in mathematics from teacher Jack Sheehan, a legendary teacher who encouraged students to think deeper, question the question, seek alternatives, value the journey and not just the destination, never to give up and to always give it a go. Anna was impressed by teachers generally at this school who would use lunch times to help students.

She then went on to the University of Adelaide, where mathematics was more challenging. She found it interesting to know of the research interests of her lecturers who include Professor Ren Potts and Dr Ray Casse.

She particularly enjoyed writing an honours thesis in which she did some mathematical modelling on the electrical activity of the heart, and then went on to complete a Dip. Ed at the same University.

In her first teaching appointment she found students difficult to motivate about Pythagoras, but eventually found a method which involved wearing a white sheet and a wreath of olives.

She managed to obtain experience with projects, particularly working with Peter Briggs. These included the use of spreadsheets, the South Australian Mathematics project, and while appointed at Underdale High School she won the prestigious John Gaffney Award.

This entitled Anna to attend the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Biennial Conference in Perth in 1991. This was an exciting experience for her, resulting in her meeting Peter O'Halloran and Bruce Henry and joining the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians roblems Committee.

This provided further professional development for Anna and she enrolled in a Masters, in which she tracked the problem solving progress of students in the Challenge.

After the conference in Perth she also took up an appointment at Temple Christian College, where she has been Head of the Mathematics Department and Assistant to the Principal. She has during this appointment been able to create a number of gifted and talented programs, including extension programs in mathematics, Tournament of Minds, future problem solving, CSIRO Science extension and Waterwatch.

In 2003 Anna became the South Australian Director of the Australian Mathematics Competition for the Westpac Awards.

Peter Taylor

Saturday 29 May 2004