Mat-Su teachers recognized with Unsung Hero awards

MAT-SU — Mike Shea, a science teacher at Teeland Middle School, and Maureen McCombs, physical education teacher at Tanaina Elementary, have been recognized as innovative educators in the 2007 ING Unsung Heroes awards program. Shea and McCombs will each receive a $2,000 award to help fund their ideas and bring them to life in the classroom.

Both teachers will receive their awards this week.

Shea’s Little Susitna River Rangers program educates seventh-grade students about watershed ecology and water preservation. Students, known as “River Rangers,” analyze data and identify one negatively impacted site that human development has caused. They then develop a re-vegetation plan with the Wasilla Soil and Water Conservation District. Students will carry their project into the eighth grade and then educate new seventh-graders on their findings.

Fitness for kids

McCombs developed the Kids Fitness program to provide students with a variety of activities during their open activity and play time. At Tanaina Elementary School, more than 430 students from preschool through fifth grade enjoy physical activities in the school’s gym. McCombs stresses the importance of physical fitness, particularly in light of the issues surrounding childhood obesity.

McComb’s project helps kids learn about keeping their bodies healthy, the importance of staying active and that with a healthy body comes healthy living.

The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes kindergarten through 12th-grade educators for innovative teaching methods and creative educational projects. The 2007 award winners were selected from a group of more than 1,100 applications.