Limestone teacher Barbie Jackson receives $5,000 grant from Tulsa Region STEM Alliance

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Andrea Sagely, Muskogee Public Schools; Barbie Jackson, Sand Springs Public Schools/Limestone Technology Academy; Michelle Rahn, Claremore Public Schools/Will Rogers Jr. High School (SUBMITTED).

At the Siegfried Flight Night gala, held Thurs., Sept. 15, Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance awarded a total of $12,500 in Siegfried STEM Innovator grants to four Oklahoma educators who excel in teaching science, technology, engineering, and/or math.

Winners each received a $2,500 individual prize during the annual Flight Night gala at Tulsa Technology Center, Riverside Airport. They include teachers Barbie Jackson of Sand Springs Public Schools’ Limestone Technology Academy; Michelle Rahn of Claremore Public Schools’ Will Rogers Jr. High School; Amy Moore of Tulsa Public Schools’ Booker T. Washington High School; and administrator Andrea Sagely of Muskogee Public Schools.

Jackson received an additional $2,500 as the overall STEM Innovator winner. 

The grants may be used for professional development, classroom materials, or other STEM programs organized by the educator or school. Honorees were selected from applicants who are Oklahoma-certified PreK-12 teachers or administrators with at least two years’ teaching experience.  

2022 STEM Innovator Award Winners

CATEGORY: Administrator | WINNER: Andrea Sagely – Muskogee Public Schools

Andrea Sagely is a STEM Innovator not only through the work she does as an administrator at Creek Elementary in Muskogee but also through her work to expand access to STEM in the Broken Arrow community. A 20-year veteran in education, Andrea has been an advocate for STEM education as a teacher and administrator. After writing and receiving a large grant from the Oklahoma State Department of Education, she developed and implemented the Club Invention after-school program that serves 80 elementary students each day! Club Invention facilitates STEM learning while encouraging students not to miss a school day, so they don’t miss their STEM club. She also partners with the OSU Extension Office to plant and maintain a 1,400-square-foot garden through a program called, “Watch Us Grow.” Each grade plans and raises the plants in their assigned bed learning about ecology, life cycles, and how plants change over time. When not fostering strong STEM programs at her elementary school in Muskogee, Andrea has worked tirelessly for years to bring an interactive solar system model to the Broken Arrow community. Along with other stakeholders and educators, she worked to raise funds and awareness for STEM education by installing a large museum-quality, scale model of the solar system that runs one-half mile along 61st Street in Broken Arrow between Lynn Lane and County Line Road. After the installation completed in June 2022, Andrea has set her sights on developing curriculum for school field trips and community nights. Andrea Sagely is this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator Administrator for her efforts in promoting and advocating for STEM education in multiple communities.

CATEGORY: Elementary School Teacher & Overall | WINNER: Barbie Jackson – Sand Springs Public Schools/Limestone Technology Academy

Barbie Jackson is an innovator in all areas of STEM education. As the STEAM Lab resource teacher at Limestone Technology Academy in Sand Springs, she continues to provide students with hands-on, minds-on STEM experiences. Barbie pulls real-world experiences into her STEAM Lab through programs like Monarch WayStation, which allows students to work hands-on, helping to understand and save an endangered species while meeting state academic standards about life cycles and movement of populations. Thanks to Barbie, her students have a place to be creative and tinker at the Maker Space and Breaker Space. In conjunction with robotics and Junior Achievement programming, Barbie has cultivated a holistic approach to STEM education through content, experience, and the development of leadership skills. She works to ensure students have multiple opportunities to engage with STEM through the STEAM Lab and a variety of after-school programs. As an advocate for STEM education, Barbie spends countless hours of personal time pursuing professional growth opportunities to ensure her students have access to the most up-to-date resources. She serves as a model of lifelong learning, and she advocates for public education and educators. Barbie Jackson is this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator at the Elementary School level because she is the teacher we wish every child would have -- one who believes in every child's potential and who goes above and beyond to make waves in her classroom.

CATEGORY: Middle School Teacher | WINNER: Michelle Rahn – Claremore Public Schools/Will Rogers Jr. High School 

The three biggest influences in a student’s life are families, teachers, and peers. Michelle Rahn, a 14-year veteran educator at Will Rogers Jr. High in Claremore, is a STEM innovator because she has worked with multiple community partners to develop a network of support for her students. This network engages families and community members, as well as students through after-school STEM Clubs, in-school STEM programming, and a Community Space Day event. Michelle demonstrates STEM for ALL through her Will Rogers Jr. High Girls STEM Club, working with female students to design, build, and compete in multiple robotics programs while developing their developing confidence in their capability to be innovative in STEM. She also organized the first Broken Arrow Community Space Day celebrating aerospace achievements, which reached more than 450 people! Michelle Rahn is named this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator at the Middle School level for her tireless efforts to ensure students are supported by family, school, and community members pursuing STEM.

CATEGORY: High School Teacher | WINNER: Amy Moore – Tulsa Public Schools/Booker T. Washington High School

Finding ways to make upper-level STEM courses accessible and rooted in real-world experience is what makes Amy Moore this year’s Siegfried STEM Innovator at the High School level. Teaching at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Amy uses hands-on laboratory demonstrations and explorations in her STEM classes to provide a gateway to a wide variety of STEM applications. During her labs, students test hypotheses and learn through discovery and data analysis. They’re able to conduct experiments and observations like real forensic scientists in a safe and controlled environment. Students use observation and critical thinking skills and practice working as a team to solve escape rooms. Encouraging students to make informed decisions through data is only half of the story. Amy prioritizes reflection and getting feedback from students to ensure her labs remain relevant, challenging, and supportive of student growth in STEM concepts. Recently, Amy heard from a former student and learned he felt very prepared for his college STEM classes. The student stated, “It was so easy! It was practically a review of what we did freshman year!” Ensuring her students are prepared to tackle the STEM challenges that face them is what makes Amy Moore a true STEM Innovator.