Oconto Falls teacher nominated for national award

Constance Rauterkus one of six educators named from Wisconsin
By: 
NEW Media Staff

MADISON — An Oconto Falls teacher is one of six educators named by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as finalists for the 2019 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), considered the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government for mathematics and science teachers.

Constance Rauterkus is a science teacher at Oconto Falls High School. Her fellow nominees teach in Campbellsport, Edgar, Baraboo, La Crosse and Madison.

Rauterkus and her colleague, Candice Behnke, made a presentation at the June meeting of the Oconto Falls School Board after they spoke at the National Science Teacher Association’s national convention in St. Louis. She was invited to write an article about the “pickle people autopsies” she has her students conduct in her Anatomy and Physiology course.

The students play the role of medical examiners and must conduct an autopsy in the case of a “dead pickle.” Students dust for fingerprints, use appropriate terminology and dissection techniques, and write a scientific report in which they share their results.

“Wisconsin’s finalists for these awards help students every day to engage and excel,” State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford-Taylor said. “This requires not only expertise in their content area, but also an understanding of best instructional practices based on education research. To reach this level as an educator takes true dedication and commitment.”

Anyone may nominate a teacher for the award. States establish selection committees who select the finalists based on criteria required by the national PAEMST program. Established by Congress in 1983, the awards recognize teachers for high-quality instructional programs informed by content knowledge to enhance student learning. Applications from Wisconsin’s finalists will be judged at the national level by a committee organized by the National Science Foundation, which administers PAEMST on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Awardees receive professional development opportunities, $10,000 from the National Science Foundation, and a trip to be recognized in Washington, D.C.