Berkeley County School District’s Dr. Marsha Neal has been named a finalist for STEM Educator of the Year for the state of South Carolina.
Neal is one of five finalists for the recognition; the winner will be announced in May.
Each part of the state has a finalist for the state’s STEM Educator of the Year – Neal is representing the entire Lowcountry. She found out she was a finalist during Spring Break.
Finalists receive a $1,000 award and the overall winner receives $5,000, as well as professional development opportunities.
Neal has taught a total of 26 years but is wrapping up her first year teaching in Berkeley County School District. She has been a math and science teacher pretty much up until this year, when she took on an exploratory teaching role.
This past school year she taught Gateway to Technology (PLTW) between two schools; she taught at Philip Simmons Middle for the fall semester and she is now at Daniel Island School.
Gateway to Technology provides engineering problem-solving curriculum for middle school students. Students learn through a lot of hands-on projects that promote creative thinking.
Neal studied elementary education at Olivet Nazarene University. She has two master’s degrees – one in Curriculum and Instruction (K-12) from Eastern Michigan University and one in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of South Carolina. She also has an associate’s degree from Jackson College in Criminal Justice and Corrections.
Neal got her doctorate in STEM Leadership last summer from the American College of Education, and when the opportunity came to teach Gateway to Technology in Berkeley County, she jumped on it.
Ultimately, Neal just wants all her students to realize the career opportunities available to them through STEM education.
Neal has had a very active first year in BCSD. Before spring break, she took students from two of her classes from Daniel Island School and one class from Philip Simmons Middle to the Kennedy Space Center – which she was able to achieve through a $2,500 grant she received.
Neal said she loves seeing her students do what she calls “productive struggling” because they have to step out of their comfort zone and work through problems, while introducing them to different STEM career possibilities.
“In the past…I’ve always implemented STEM into my classroom whenever I could,” she said. “Now, this is what I do every day.”
She started her career in South Carolina in 2007 at Allendale Elementary as a fourth grade teacher, and it was a former colleague of hers from that school who nominated her for STEM Educator of the Year.
“It was very humbling,” Neal said. “For her (my friend) to actually take the time to nominate me…it meant a lot that other people see what I’m doing in the classroom, and that somebody in the community appreciates it.”
Neal will go on to start an interviewing process for the winning title next week. The winner will be announced May 19.
