Lacey Hoosier Wins $10,000 Cash Prize for Positive Impact on Her Students and School

The National Science Teaching Association announced today that Lacey Hoosier, a science teacher at Buckeye High School in Deville, Louisiana, has received the 2024 Shell Science Teaching Award. During an award ceremony at the NSTA National Conference in Denver in March, Hoosier was formally recognized for her achievement.

Lacey Hoosier realizes that teaching is just a small, though highly important, part of the job. Her main contribution and goal is reviving and fostering a love for science and learning in today’s youth, who tend to be easily distracted. Hoosier’s aim for her entire teaching career has been to initiate change and allow students and community members to explore different perspectives while learning new information. She incorporates many different learning styles and hands-on activities and encourages her students to explore ideas and use the basics of science to develop testable, repeatable experiments that allow them to delve into topics that interest them. Hoosier also uses animals to interest students. As an environmentalist, science teacher, and nature photographer, she enjoys helping animals in need and using these opportunities to teach students about native and exotic animal species and help students become stewards of the environment. Her Buckeye High School colleague, science teacher Tony Ellis, observed, “Rarely have I seen or heard of a teacher/leader who is able to inspire young adults to believe that they have the power to change the world into a better place. Lacey Hoosier is that teacher/leader.”

Hoosier received the Shell Science Teaching Award for her positive impact on her students and school through exemplary classroom science teaching. She was awarded a $10,000 cash prize from Shell USA Inc. and expenses to attend NSTA’s National Conference in Denver, which took place March 20–23.

“By receiving this award, Hoosier has established herself as a teacher who leads by putting students in the center of her classroom instruction. Students have opportunities to grow academically and personally. Hoosier is the type of teacher who ensures students have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to make a difference in the world,” said NSTA President Julie Luft.

In addition to Hoosier, two finalists were selected. Mary Lynn Hess, a science teacher at Goldsboro Elementary Magnet School in Sanford, Florida, and Kristin Slota, a science teacher at Afton Elementary School in Yardley, Pennsylvania, received expenses to attend NSTA’s National Conference in Denver, and were also recognized for their achievements at the award ceremony that took place during the conference.

More information about the NSTA Teacher Awards Program and the Shell Science Teaching Award can be found online at https://www.nsta.org/awards-and-recognition-program.

About NSTA

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high-quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more information, visit www.nsta.org, or following NSTA on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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Congrats to Buckeye High School #science teacher Lacey Hoosier, recipient of the 2024 @Shell Science Teaching Award! #scied #NSTA