Diana Allen feeds fish that provide nutrients in an aquaponics system that grows herbs and vegetables in a neighboring greenhouse at Sanford Middle School.
Photo: Lee Burnett
By Lee Burnett
Seventh-grade science teacher Diana Allen has won the nation’s highest award for math and science teachers. The Presidental Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching comes with a $10,000 cash award and an expenses-paid trip to an awards dinner in Washington, DC.
“I’m still a little stunned,” Allen, 53, said as she escorted a visitor to her classroom at Sanford Middle School Wednesday morning, two days after announcement of the award.
Allen’s classroom provides clues to her success. At one end are two 500-gallon tanks where fish are grown as part of an aquaponics system that also grows herbs and vegetables in a greenhouse adjoining the classroom.
“I am passionate about what I teach, and it comes out in the way I teach, which is hands-on, interactive,” she said.
Her students are commonly outdoors in the nearby woods or wading in the Mousam River. Sometimes they’re on the trails doing nature journaling or conducting cleanups. Other times they collect maple syrup or take water samples in Stump Pond. “You might see us in waders with dip nets looking for amphibians,” she said. Her students have conducted watershed investigations, focusing on water quality and plastic pollution.
Often, investigations touch on hot-button topics, such as climate change and dam removals. Through research, her students discovered that dams on the Mousam River are preventing upstream migration of fish, but their concern for the fish softened when they learned that removing the dam at Washington Street would drain Number One Pond, Allen said, recounting the student reactions. “You mean no more waterski shows? Boom! That was the end of that,” she laughed.
Allen has been teaching in Sanford for 20 years. She was one of three science and math teachers chosen to represent Maine in the competition in 2023. She was prepared to wait because the evaluation process conducted by the National Science Foundation is well-known for its rigor and includes an FBI background check. Normally, up to 110 awards are announced each year, according to NSF. This year, the NSF, announced 336 winners from multiple years, a move that Allen suspects might have something to do with the upcoming change in administration.
A bobcat, spotted near Beaver Hill in Springvale recently, enjoys a spot in the sun. Photo: Terrence McCarthy
Rachel Schneider on a training run at week 14 of her pregnancy Courtesy photo By Quinnly Raducha University of New…
Joe Jourdain has served as Sanford Middle School’s Resource Officer for five years. Photo Credit: Sanford School Department By Sam…
A site plan shows an apartment building on Summer Street in Springvale. Photo: City of Sanford By Jack McAdam The…
Grasshopper Sparrow Photo: Pixabay By Quinnly Raducha, University of New England The manager of Sanford’s airport made a pitch to…
Compiled by Lisa Blanchette Visit our Events Calendar https://sanfordspringvalenews.com/events/ for details on these events and on events to come. ONGOING…