Ogden News

Six WKU students have received $10,000 scholarships for the 2011-12 school year funded through the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.

The recipients of the Science and Math Alliance for Recruitment and Retention of Teachers (SMARRT) Scholarships are Stephanie Burba, a biology major from Magnolia; Dagan Dalton, a math major from Albany; Emily Evanko, a math major from West Paducah; Ciera Gary, a biology major from Shepherdsville; Tyler Ghee, a math major from Smiths Grove; and Shelby Overstreet, a chemistry major from Crestwood.

The WKU Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program aims to prepare science and mathematics majors who are committed to teaching high school in a high needs district in the region. These students will receive $10,000 scholarships for the last two years of the SKyTeach Program, the teacher education program at WKU. SKyTeach is funded by the National Math and Science Initiative and models the UTeach program at the University of Texas at Austin.

WKU SMARRT scholars receive additional preparation through seminars, sneak peeks into professionalism, professional learning communities, and cyber mentoring. Once WKU SMARRT Scholars graduate and begin their career in teaching, they will benefit from continued mentoring that is not evaluative in nature. Instead, professional learning communities will be maintained via the web and face-to-face interactions.

The scholarships are for juniors and seniors who major in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) discipline and science and math education. The students have agreed to teach at least two years in a high needs school district after graduation.

Contact: Hope Marchionda, (270) 745-2691.