(SPS) – In late August, Liberty Elementary STEM Academy Principal Tom Walsh called for an assembly of his staff and students so they could surprise one of their own.
It was a hush-hush affair with only a few Liberty Eagles knowing what was about to happen. It was so hush-hush, that we were asked to hold off publishing the news until today.
They were there to announce that second-grade teacher Kimberly McCallum had been selected as the Flight Night STEM Innovator Award Winner for the Elementary School category.
“Teachers from all over the state of Oklahoma applied for this award and your teacher got it,” Kristen Tanner of the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance told the group.
Mrs. McCallum received a $2,500 grant for professional development and classroom needs.
During the spring of 2019, Mrs. McCallum took two groups of students on trips to Arizona and Texas to further their STEM education outside of the classroom.
“It gives children hands-on experiences with things that they have previously only read about in books. The things they see and experience provide background knowledge for future learning and create dreams and visions for what they can do in their own futures,” said Mrs. McCallum.
The week-long trips last year took the students to places such as sea turtle sanctuaries, the Grand Canyon, the Sonoran Desert Wildlife Refuge, Space Center Houston, and much more. Mrs. McCallum is planning this year’s trip to San Diego and a trip to London in 2021.
She was recognized at the Flight Night STEM Innovator Award Winners event on Sept. 12.
Congratulations, Mrs. McCallum.
