Amgen recognizes Westlake teacher
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

A local fifth-grade teacher has been recognized for creating an "innovative and encouraging environment" in his science classroom, and he will take home $10,000 for personal and classroom use.

Amgen will honor Steve Latshaw of Westlake Hills Elementary School and 29 other science teachers across the United States and Puerto Rico as this year's recipients of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence.

Latshaw said he was particularly surprised by the win because the awards usually go to middle school and high school science teachers. This year, according to Latshaw, he was the only elementary school teacher to be honored.

"This is the third application I've turned in, so third time's a charm I guess," Latshaw said. "I was very surprised by the final result."

Latshaw and the other winners will receive a $5,000 cash reward and recognition at an awards banquet on May 24. He'll also receive a $5,000 cash grant to be used at Westlake Hills for the expansion or enhancement of a school science program, science resources or the professional development of the school's science teachers.

"The school money will be used for . . . a science program at school," Latshaw said. "As far as the personal money, there are some computer purchases to be made at home. Also my wife and I are going to go to Hawaii with some of that, and some other fun things."

Since Amgen's program began in 1992, the biotech company has awarded more than $1.7 million to educators who've made exceptional contributions in teaching science.

"This year's Amgen Science Teaching Excellence Award winners have provided an innovative and encouraging environment to inspire their students to learn about science," said Phyllis Piano, vice president corporate communications and philanthropy at Amgen. "We respect and appreciate the teachers' dedication to their students and are delighted to honor them."

Recipients are chosen based on the creativity of their teaching methods, effectiveness in the classroom and the plan for the use of the grant money.

"Since, as an elementary school teacher, I am responsible for all areas of the curriculum," Latshaw said, "I often use science as a starting point for many writing assignments. Math is often used to analyze the data derived from experimentation.

"It is my hope," he continued, "to teach the students that they have the capability to understand the world around them through science investigation and through their own creativity, make changes to improve their lives and the lives of others."

For the first time this year, applicants were also asked to submit an innovative science lesson plan that had been successfully introduced in their classroom. Amgen plans to post a number of the winning lesson plans on its website to serve as teaching tools.

The application was about 15 pages long, Latshaw said. The lesson plan he submitted concerned robotics.

Other recipients hailed from Colorado, Washington, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.

For more information about the program and this year's winners, visit http:// www.amgen.com/citizenship/ aaste.html.