Top Teachers
Saturday, April 4, 1998
Name: Colleen Carson
Age: 31
Position: Kaneohe Elementary sixth-grade teacher
Education: UH
Pastimes: Spending time with 1-year-old daughter, Kristen
As part of a major science project two years ago, Colleen Carson assigned students to build a simulated model of a space habitat. Bringing science to youth
The assignment challenged sixth-graders to figure out how much food and water they would need to sustain life in outer space, said Carson, schoolteacher at Kaneohe Elementary School. Students had to take into consideration temperature differences, microgravity and other factors.
Carson recently won a prestigious national award for her excellence in teaching elementary science.
The state Legislature recognized her last week for winning the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science from the National Science Foundation. Carson and three other Hawaii teachers will get the award, including a $7,500 grant, at the national awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., in June.
The money will go toward the school's science curriculum, said Carson, who is the chairperson of the math, science and technology committee.
She's also the grade-level chairperson responsible for scheduling field trips.
Carson demonstrates strong decision-making skills that always focuses on what's best for students, said Principal Mitchell Otani, who with two other teachers nominated her for the award.
"She is an exceptional teacher who requires a lot from her students and a lot from herself."
Shirley Iida, Star-Bulletin
