Murrumbidgee Regional High School teacher Ian Preston, has been recognised for his dedication to creating STEM learning opportunities with the Education Minister's Award for Excellence in Teaching.
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The school also received the Secretary's Award for Outstanding School Initiative for the Murrumbidgee Academy of STEM Excellence which is led by Mr Preston.
With a career spanning more than three decades, Mr Preston is one of 26 teachers recognised in the annual minister's and secretary's annual awards.
NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the 2021 awards highlighted the excellence underpinning the NSW public school system even as schools, students and teachers have navigated the challenges of natural disasters and a global pandemic.
"These awards reveal that regardless of the circumstances, our students, teachers, principals and the school community are always striving for learning and teaching excellence," Ms Mitchell said.
Mr Preston was nominated by Dr Scott Sleap, the current STEM Project Adviser for the Educational Standards Directorate and lead of the STEM Industry Schools Partnership (SISP) for his work on the Murrumbidgee Academy of STEM Excellence (MASE) and the Virtual STEM Academy.
The SISP program targets regional and rural students, girls and Indigenous students.
Mr Preston said he was 'very proud' to receive the award.
"It is nice to get recognition of the work you are doing and know your work is valued and is making a difference," Mr Preston said.
"One of the things that I am most passionate about is making a difference in the lives of rural and regional students and MASE is enabling that."
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Through the academy, local students have had a range of fantastic opportunities, participating in interactive question and answers with scientists at the Houston space centre whilst the Mars Rover was still in flight, robotics and coding lessons, and recently with Australian scientist, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.
MASE has also just recently launched its inaugural Aeronautical Velocity Challenge.
"The academy really is a passion project for me and builds a continuum for students to participate in a variety of educational STEM learning experiences from primary school, into high school and beyond," Mr Preston said.
MRHS Executive Principal David Crelley said that the school community was 'exceptionally fortunate' to have a teacher with such knowledge and passion for STEM.
"Ian has demonstrated a passion for STEM related learning for a number of years, gradually building his skill and knowledge to position him as a leading teacher in this field across the state," Mr Crelley said.
"He has provided significant opportunities for the students in our school and our partner primary schools to learn, explore, create and compete in this emerging field."
This year, a dedicated STEM room also opened at the Griffith MRHS site, which will soon be replicated at the Wade site.
"It's fantastic to be able to have a dedicated space, and have students from partner primary schools come in for special programs, and local teachers come in for training to bring similar learning opportunities to their schools," Mr Preston said.
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