Two Queen Creek High School teachers have won the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project Fellowship Award.

Laura Winder, who teaches AP and honors chemistry, and Jolie Varholdt, who teaches environmental science and physical science, both applied to work with other teachers on improving STEM education. 

“This award will provide … funds to do things I was already hoping to do,” Winder stated in a press release. “It's satisfying to have support to provide better science experiences and credit opportunities for my students.” 

This award allows the teachers to network with other Arizona educators to create STEM lesson plans, projects and community programs. Winder and Varholdt each received a prize of $2,000 in classroom materials to build their projects and access to all the lesson plans/projects from other teachers in the program. 

“The most rewarding thing about winning is the opportunity to help change science education for the better,” Varholdt stated in the release. “This award helps my classes, lessons, and more than 180 science students by providing the funds, time, and resources needed to ensure memorable and authentic science learning experiences.”