To celebrate the contribution of local teachers to our chemistry community, the Red River Valley Local Section of the American Chemical Society (RRV-ACS) will award each year a Local High School Chemistry Teacher Award.
Nominations can be made by any member of the local section and nominations are due Dec 31st with the award being made at the annual RRV-ACS Rsearch Conference the following year. The nominee must be actively involved in teaching chemistry or a chemical science for students in Grades 9 -12 (High School) and will have to provide a copy of their CV or resume as part of the packet.
This award comes with an award plaque for the teacher's classroom and a one year membership to American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT https://teachchemistry.org/)
The award nomination form should be downloaded and completed and can be found HERE
The nominator of the award winner will also be encouraged to consider further developing their nomination and submitting this to the ACS Chemical Education Division Regional Award for Excellence in HS Teaching. More details can be found at:
https://www.divched.org/award/divched-region-awards-excellence-high-school-teaching
2024 High School Chemistry Teacher Award Winner:
Jill' s nomination:
Jill Bakken has taught students about chemical and physical science for the last 23 years, all of which have been somewhere in the Red River Valley. Most of the last decade she has been teaching Chemistry, and over half of those years she has worked for Bagley Public Schools. She will tell you that her greatest career accomplishment is simply being part of students' lives and helping them learn just how relatable and important chemistry is to all of us. Jill has advised students in several academic endeavors, including state, national and international competitions with ISEF and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. She has traveled with students all over the country as they presented their scientific research, giving students from our rural area the excitement and opportunity of real-world science.
Jill has also involved students in the River Watch program since the beginning of her career. Her students have been a part of MPCA data collection and research for watershed districts to make decisions about water quality programming and intervention efforts. Jill received the Voyageur Award from the International Water Institute for her involvement in the Red River Valley River Watch program. She has advised Knowledge Bowl teams to multiple regional and state competitions and motivated many students to find their educational strengths and talents. She loves to welcome community experts and university students to her classroom to show students that Chemistry is everywhere! It is very important to Jill that all students, regardless of background or situation, learn the value of Chemistry and science in their lives and how to make their best choices with that knowledge.
Questions / Contact Information:
For further information contact either
Red River Valley ACS (redrivervalleyacs@gmail.com)
Graeme Wyllie (RRV ACS Councilor and Webmaster) (wyllie@cord.edu)
Bob Quandt (RRV ACS Chair Elect and Conference Organizer) (bob.quandt@bemidjistate.edu)