Local teachers selected as finalists for STEM awards
Two local elementary school teachers have been selected as finalists for the national Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching.
Leigh Wilson, a fourth grade teacher at Potlatch Elementary School, and Angela Tweit, a kindergarten teacher at Juliaetta Elementary School, join four other Idaho educators in being nominated for the award.
The finalists were selected by a panel of past recipients of the award and have been submitted to the national competition, according to a news release from the Idaho Department of Education.
The annual awards alternate between elementary teachers and secondary teachers. This year’s awards are for elementary education. According to the release, national awardees receive a certificate signed by the president and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
In the release, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said the award is the nation’s highest honor for teachers in science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — subjects.
Winners are expected to be announced this spring.
Anti-Valentine’s Day program planned at library
Latah County Library District librarians will read scary stories for young adult and adult audiences of romance gone wrong on Facebook Live at 10 a.m. Friday. You can watch the readings at fb.me/e/17Vy3qv9Z.
After the digital program, participants can pick up a Be Your Own Valentine self-care kit at the Moscow Public Library until supplies run out. The kit includes materials to take care of your body and your mental health.
For more information, contact Bailey Gillreath-Brown or Stacie Echanove at programming@latahlibrary.org.
In other library news:
Libraries in Colfax, Garfield and Rosalia are having a “Blind Date with a Book” event this month. All Colfax participants get a chance at a romantic date. Garfield blind daters are entered to win a gift basket and gift certificates from local businesses. Readers in Rosalia will go into a raffle for a free pizza. To learn more, call (509) 397-4366 or go online at www.whitco.lib.wa.us.
The Endicott Library has Valentine’s Day take-home kits for youth 18 and under. Kits are available for pick up via curbside service at the library on Tuesday and Friday. For more information or to schedule a pick up time, contact Tia at (509) 657-3429 or via email at endicott@whitco.lib.wa.us.
Whitman County Library welcomes visitors back inside the library again starting Monday. State guidelines for public libraries were recently updated to allow in-person service for regions in Phase 1. For more information, call (509) 397-4366 or visit www.whitco.lib.wa.us.
Journalist to speak at UI Cup of Joe event
University of Idaho alumnus Don Shelton will participate in a Cup of Joe event at 4 p.m. Tuesday via Zoom.
Shelton, a 1976 UI graduate, will discuss media issues in America. Shelton has been a journalist for 43 years, 32 of those at the Seattle Times. He retired in 2019 as the executive editor of the Seattle Times, a position he has served in since 2016.
Register for the event at this shortened web link: bit.ly/2YPXqS0.
