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October 15, 2019 - 10:09pm | By Chris Larson
President Donald J. Trump announced the recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
The announcement included the names of those who applied over the course of the last two years.
West Fargo’s Andrew Potter and Gretchen Peterson were two recipients of the award, which is the nation’s highest honor for U.S. K-12 mathematics and science teachers. Awardees come from schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, and schools in the United States territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. Nominations and awards are facilitated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science Foundation. A panel of distinguished mathematicians, scientists, and educators at the State and national levels assess the applications before recommending nominees to OSTP. Teachers are selected based on their distinction in the classroom and dedication to improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
Peterson is currently a math teacher at Liberty Middle School and has more than twenty years of experience with West Fargo Public Schools. At the time of his application in 2018, Potter was an elementary teacher at Eastwood Elementary School. He left the district this fall, but his new position with the U.S. Math Recovery Council allows him to still work closely with students at West Fargo’s Willow Park Elementary School.
