School leaders will receive $15,000 to support students’ ongoing success in STEM
(Sept. 19, 2018) Denver, Colo. – Educators from Northridge Elementary School in Longmont last night were awarded The Succeeds Prize 2018 for Excellence in STEM Education during a celebration honoring Colorado public schools and educators. The $15,000 cash prize, presented by Ball Corporation, was awarded to Northridge Elementary as an outstanding example of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
The Succeeds Prize—a partnership between 9NEWS, Colorado Succeeds and mindSpark Learning— recognizes and rewards Colorado’s transformational public schools and educators who are driving strong student success. It also shares promising teaching practices statewide and elevates excellent educators to impact Colorado’s nearly 900,000 students. Sponsored by Colorado’s business community, The Succeeds Prize awarded schools across six categories with a total of $150,000 in cash prizes.
“STEM skills are critical to the work Ball Corporation does each day in all of our businesses internationally, regardless of job level or area of focus,” said Chris Chavez, global director of corporate citizenship at Ball Corporation. “A high-quality STEM education can change students’ academic and economic trajectories, and Ball is committed to helping ensure all Colorado children have access to these invaluable learning opportunities. On behalf of Ball, thank you to the finalists and the winner for your inspiring work to prepare Colorado students for their future.”
Northridge Elementary was selected by a panel of leading STEM educators and industry professionals using a multi-step process. The school was recognized for providing all students with meaningful STEM courses, opportunities to develop and apply 21st century skills, and exposure to STEM careers, among other criteria.
“This recognition allows our students to see that their work can become a reality – what an empowering message for students everywhere," said Lorynda Sampson, principal of Northridge Elementary School. "Northridge is committed to delivering exceptional educational experiences through STEM and design thinking to engage our students in their learning and prepare them for success in a complex, STEM-driven future. Thank you to The Succeeds Prize for recognizing our dedication to STEM and supporting us in building future-ready learners."
Northridge Elementary joins five other awardees, each receiving $15,000. School leaders will determine how to use the prize money to supercharge their success.
Transformational Impact in an Elementary School – Presented by TTEC: Paonia Elementary School
Transformational Impact in a Middle School – Presented by DaVita: Carbondale Middle School
Transformational Impact in a High School – Presented by the Western Union Foundation: Denver Center for International Studies
Excellence in STEM Education – Presented by Ball Corporation: Northridge Elementary School
Excellence in Education Innovation – Presented by Janus Henderson Investors: Colleen Owens, Green Mountain High School
Excellence in Technology Enabled Learning – Presented by Arrow Electronics: Sean Wybrant, William J. Palmer High School
The runners up in each category received between $2,500 and $5,000.
In addition to receiving the cash prizes, each winning school will also receive customized professional training from mindSpark Learning, a non-profit dedicated to re-engineering education through educators with unique professional learning experiences for both the school leader and teacher.
About The Succeeds Prize
The Succeeds Prize is the most prestigious awards and recognition event for Colorado’s public schools and educators. It honors the transformational impact Colorado’s public schools and educators are leading across the state. It also serves as a year-long opportunity to share and scale successful practices while elevating innovative educators so every student in Colorado can benefit.
The Succeeds Prize is sponsored by the business community in partnership with 9NEWS, Colorado Succeeds and mindSpark Learning. Learn more at TheSucceedsPrize.org.
About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 17,500 people worldwide and 2017 net sales were $11 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
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