Wade Hampton Science Teacher Finalist for Presidential Award

An Upstate science teacher is a finalist for a presidential award.

Beth Leavitt, a teacher at Wade Hampton High, has been selected a South Carolina Finalist for the 2014 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Leavitt has taught in Greenville County Schools since 1999 and is one of five secondary teachers eligible to receive a PAEMST award, the nation’s highest honor for K-12 mathematics and science teachers.  

Leavitt is actively involved as a mentor with award-winning FIRST Robotics Team EnTech 281. She regularly presents planetarium programs at Roper Mountain Science Center and teaches summer science camps. 

Leavitt was named a Top Ten Teacher of the Year in 2006 and was a semi-finalist for NASA Educator in Space in 2004.

Each year, a national committee of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators recommend up to 108 teachers to receive PAEMST awards. One mathematics teacher and one science teacher are selected from each state. Teachers who are selected as PAEMST awardees receive a $10,000 award, a Presidential citation, and a trip to Washington, D.C. for recognition events.