At the time of her award, science department chair Angela Malone was adeptly marrying art with science at Oxon Hill Middle School. As a member of the inaugural Arts Integration in the Classroom Committee and with a graduate course in arts integration under her belt, she has trained other teachers on how to integrate art into STEM – transforming it into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math).
The charismatic middle school teacher, who is also a trained actor and singer, uses student achievement data to plan differentiated learning activities and implement project-based learning that allows students to actively explore real-world problems and acquire a deeper knowledge of subject matter. Students engaged in innovative projects like making homemade ice cream to explore chemical and physical changes in matter or using artistic tableaux to demonstrate understand of concepts such as heat transfer.
When teaching the unit on Motion, Forces and Energy, Malone asked her students to design a car that would protect a raw egg traveling down an inclined plane. The students had a mock budget to purchase washers, aluminum foil, cotton balls, straws, and other household materials to create their cars. Malone even hosted a grade-level competition to see which group created the best car, with students eager to explain their learning processes to classroom visitors. For a science team performance in a talent show, students rapped about learning in science while wearing safety goggles. Impacting the greater community, Malone helped host a PiDay on a weekend for over 200 students and community members and led workshops for parents and students during a STEM night.
In 2017, Angela Malone moved to Guam as her husband received a new Air Force duty station. There she became a charter faculty member of Guam's first STEAM middle school. Students in Guam had a unique opportunity to do real world research and advocacy for issues related to life on a small island such as effects of invasive species, overfishing and coral reef bleaching due to increasing temperatures in the Pacific. Among other projects, Malone organized a community art show where students designed and created works of art made entirely of sustainable materials. Upon returning stateside in 2021, Angela Malone was proud to return to Prince George's County Public Schools at Hyattsville Middle School as a RELA teacher. She is passionate about building students' understanding of how all content is integrated and loves to bring scientific, mathematical, historical, and artistic connections to her reading and writing instruction.
Malone continues to create a learning environment that insists on the students taking control and ownership of their learning while she acts as a facilitator. She maintains high expectations for achievement but also provides a roadmap for her students to attain those learning goals. She is able to measure their learning in an engaging manner utilizing technology. Students are even encouraged to use their own cell phones, for example, to conduct research.
Students exhibit a great deal of academic, social and emotional growth, which has led to a reduction in referrals to guidance and administrative personnel. It is this understanding and respect of adolescent learning styles that make Malone a model educator who is respected by her students.
Her reputation is growing as district staff visit her classroom to observe her practices.
Malone earned a general studies degree in biology and philosophy from Dallas Baptist University in 1999 and post-baccalaureate teacher certification from LeTourneau University in 2004.
1999 B.S., Dallas Baptist University
