Celebrating Excellence in Math Education: Leslie Wetherell and Julie Cucuel Honored with Regional Awards
April 2025
The Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) has recognized two outstanding educators from our region with the prestigious Regional Math Educator Award, highlighting their exceptional dedication to advancing mathematics instruction and supporting educators throughout the area. Read More.
Educator Spotlight on Wy'east Middle School's Nancy Behrmann
March 2025
We are thrilled to honor Nancy Behrmann for her outstanding dedication to making learning both visual and hands-on for her students. Throughout her teaching of body systems, Nancy has gone above and beyond by creating personalized labs and demonstrations for each system, providing students with invaluable, interactive learning experiences.
In addition to her expertise as a science educator, Nancy’s bilingual skills enrich the learning environment and foster inclusivity in the classroom. We are proud to honor Nancy and appreciate her unwavering commitment to student success!
Educator Spotlight on May Street Elementary's Jessica Dye
February 2025
We are thrilled to shine our Educator Spotlight on Jessica Dye, a remarkable STEM educator at May Street Elementary. Jessica exemplifies excellence through her innovative and collaborative teaching methods, significantly enhancing STEM education within our community. Beyond her classroom duties, she leads cross-grade level AI education initiatives and runs an after-school maker's club for third graders, providing hands-on learning experiences that ignite creativity and technical curiosity in young minds. Jessica's dedication to fostering collaboration is evident as she generously shares resources and expertise with colleagues, especially during the school's AI week and maker's club activities. Her unwavering commitment to making STEM accessible and engaging makes her an outstanding role model for both students and educators.
Jamie Sowell honored by the GTA as the 2024 STEM Educator of the Year
December 2024
Jamie Sowell from South Wasco County School District was chosen as this year’s Gorge Technology Alliance STEM Educator of the Year! Jamie was recognized at the GTA’s Winter Party and received a $1,000 donation to support STEM programming at South Wasco County School District. Congrats, Jamie!
Photo credit: courtesy of GTA
Oregon STEM's National STEM Day Contest
December 2024
Congratulations to Teresa Nelson from Sherman County School District.Teresa was one of the winners of Oregon STEM’s National STEM Day contest! Winning educators each received a $50 Amazon e-gift card. Many thanks to Heidi Bates (South Metro Salem STEM Partnership & Oregon Institute of Technology) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers members, for sponsoring the winning educators across the state. Much thanks to Oregon STEM for spearheading a statewide celebration for National STEM Day. To learn more about Oregon STEM visit their website, OregonSTEM.org
OSTA Outstanding Classroom Teacher Awards
November 2024
Congratulations to two local educators, Sally Anderson and David Scharfenberg from the Hood River County School District, who received 2024 Outstanding Science Educator awards from the Oregon Science Teachers Association. The STEM Hub is excited to honor these dedicated educators who have been longtime supporters of STEM Education in the Gorge! Congrats!
Lu Seapy Honored as a STEM Educator and Robotics Coach from OSU 4-H
June 2024, Photo Credit: Wasco County 4-H Oregon Facebook Page
This month, we're honoring Lu Seapy for her work as a STEM Educator and Robotics Coach. Lu's devotion to STEM and Robotics education in the Gorge will leave enormous shoes to fill following her retirement this summer. Lu also recently received a Regional Director's award from Oregon 4-H for her role as a STEM Educator and Robotics Coach. Thank you, Lu, for your tireless service to our region!
CGCC Advanced Manufacturing Faculty, Robert Wells-Clark Receives Outstanding Educator of the Year Award
March 2024, Photo Credit: The Dalles Chamber of Commerce
Advanced Manufacturing Faculty member at Columbia Gorge Community College, Robert Wells-Clark, was recently honored as the 2023 Outstanding Educator of the Year at the Distinguished Citizens Awards Banquet, hosted by The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce! Robert was honored for his excellent teaching abilities, his dedication to encouraging youth to contribute to the local community, and his leadership within the regional Advanced Manufacturing field. Robert has also participated in the STEM Hub's multiple projects including the Career Connected Learning Collaboratory and providing instruction and facilitation during the 2023 3-day Educator Externship in Advanced Manufacturing. Congratulations, Robert!
Gorge News honors Dufur School's CTE Coordinator, Leona Egeland
January 2024, Photo Credit: Gorge News
A recent article in Gorge News highlighted Leona Egeland's instrumental role in the Dufur Career Technical Education (CTE) program, emphasizing her dedication to guiding students towards their career aspirations. As the Dufur CTE coordinator, Egeland plays a pivotal role in facilitating hands-on learning experiences and forging partnerships with local businesses to provide diverse vocational training opportunities for students. Her commitment to personalized career guidance and industry-relevant skills development is evident in the program's emphasis on empowering students to explore various career paths aligned with their interests and talents
Egeland shares, "“It is my belief that any CTE program should strive to help students discover their natural giftings, talents and aptitudes, while at the same time reinforcing that fulfillment in your personal and professional life not only comes from using your naturals giftings in your work, but fulfillment is also obtained through taking pride in a job well done.”
Charles Webber Receives Finalist Nomination for GTA's STEM Educator of the Year Award
January 2024, Photo Credit: CCC News
Charles Webber is the instructor responsible for all of the technology-related courses at The Dalles High School, including serving as the VEX robotics coach. He became a Finalist for GTA’s STEM Educator of the Year award! He has led multiple VEX robotics teams to success, exhibiting amazing growth throughout the last several seasons. He provokes teams to think in effective ways and has done an exceptional job at letting his student’s talent shine. As a quote from his nomination, “Charles is a beacon of inspiration. Despite facing significant resource constraints, he consistently leads his students to victory in numerous competitions. Beyond his success in these endeavors, Charles has also facilitated the academic advancement of several students, securing them full scholarships to prestigious universities, as well as making sure there are paths for other students to acquire the necessary skills to secure entry-level tech positions.”
Jack Perrin Receives STEM Educator of the Year Award from the Gorge Technology Alliance (GTA)
December 2023
Jack Perrin is Founder and Director of Gorge MakerSpace in White Salmon whose mission is to empower and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to explore and build their creative skills. Since 2014, Jack has been selflessly bringing youth and adult classes to the community, leading youth robotics in White Salmon, and finding new ways to reach students less represented in STEM careers like girls and Latino students. To quote his nomination: “Jack not only has a deep passion and expertise for STEM but more importantly he truly cares about his students and wants them to succeed. He is tireless in his pursuit of developing the future workforce.” Jack is well known in the Gorge for his STEM leadership. Besides his work at Gorge Makerspace, he also is engaged with groups like Career Connect SW Gorge Advisory Board and the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub. His participation with these organizations keeps him at the forefront of new STEM initiatives and opportunities so that he can maintain better outcomes for his students.
Jamie Sowell, South Wasco County School District
December 2023
Jamie Sowell, South Wasco High School's Director of Technology, is a dedicated STEM educator excelling in teaching Calculus, Computer Science, and CAD while coaching the STEM club and High School VEX Robotics team. Jamie has also been a finalist for the GTA STEM Educator of the Year award. His commitment to STEM education is evident through volunteering at VEX State Championships, mentoring VEX IQ teams, and founding the High School "Girls Who Code" team, fostering impressive inclusivity with 75% female and 25% Native American participation. Jamie reintroduced CAD teachings after 16 years at South Wasco, covering laser cutting, Solidworks 3-D modeling, and 3-D printing. He offers dual credit courses in Computer Science and Calculus, holds a CTE Advanced Manufacturing license, and secured a CTE Revitalization grant to establish a CTE computer lab. Sowell's diverse skill set extends to videography at school events, another example of his commitment to supporting local students!
Alan Cunningham, Arlington School District
June 2023
This month, we are honoring Alan Cunningham from Arlington School District. Alan is a manufacturing, IT, and CTE Instructor for Arlington High School. In April, Alan partnered with Paradise Rose Catering in Arlington to provide a Catering Bootcamp for 11 high school students. He shares that during the 4-day, 4-hour-per-day camp, there was "so much engaged learning! Everyone learned things and did good work." This is an excellent example of Career Connected Learning! Thank you, Alan!