CMCSS Director of Schools Earns Top Honors with STEM Excellence Award
May 12, 2017
Please note: This article was originally published on 5/12/2017. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year.
CMCSS Director of Schools Earns Top Honors with STEM Excellence Award
The Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN) announced today the winners of the “STEM Excellence Awards,” a series of competitive awards that recognize outstanding teachers, leaders, and advocates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Dr. B. J. Worthington, Director of Schools for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS), was awarded the Excellence in STEM Leadership Award.
“Tennessee’s recent successes in STEM are due to the combined efforts of strong teachers in the classroom, as well as innovative leaders and advocates that place STEM at the top of their priority lists,” said Wes Hall, Director of the TSIN. “We are honored to be able to recognize the efforts of these amazing individuals and the contributions they have made to advancing STEM throughout the state.”
The Excellence in STEM Leadership Award recognizes a school-level, district, or regional leader with a proven track-record of developing effective STEM programs. This awardee supports and encourages teachers and schools to continually infuse STEM teaching strategies and embrace classroom innovation.
During Dr. Worthington’s tenure with CMCSS, he has served as a science teacher, assistant principal, middle and high school principal, Chief Academic Officer, and Director of Schools. Dr. Worthington has earned teacher of the year honors and outstanding district administrator. In addition, he was one of Education Week’s “Leaders to Learn From” (2014) and was selected as the Bob Grossman Superintendent of the Year (2013) for leadership in communications. Dr. Worthington is a certified leadership trainer and has led his district to the highest academic growth in the state in literacy and numeracy for the past two years. Dr. Worthington is being recognized for his commitment to creating a leading STEM district through his work to infuse STEM learning throughout all schools in CMCSS.
This year’s other awardees of the STEM Excellence Awards include:
Excellence in STEM Teaching Award
Christa Phillips, Teacher, Houston High School, Germantown, TN
STEM Advocate Award
Dr. Stacy Klein-Gardner, Director of the Center for STEM Education for Girls, Harpeth Hall, Nashville, TN
STEM Innovator Award
Keri Randolph, Director of Innovation, Hamilton County Department of Education, Chattanooga, TN
The TSIN will honor awardees at the third annual Tennessee STEM Innovation Summit on Thursday, May 24, 2017, in Murfreesboro. The TSIN is a public-private collaborative between the Tennessee Department of Education and Battelle Memorial Institute, emphasizing a “kindergarten through jobs” philosophy by promoting the teaching and learning of STEM education and integrating real-world and hands-on learning in K-12 schools across Tennessee.
For more information, visit: www.TSIN.org