In the two years that Julie Cunningham had taught at Lake Mills, ACT scores went up, enrollment in her elective chemistry class had grown by 60 percent, and enrollment by girls in her science classes had gone up from 30 to 50 percent. Ms. Cunningham challenged her students to the edges of learning and made her classes come alive. Operating her class like a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) lab, she had students deeply engrossed in their investigations. Ms. Cunningham's objective in teaching science was to help students develop the ability to question the world around them, find answers to these questions and communicate their findings. Though she had high expectations for her students, she also provided them with a structure so that they could succeed. Lake Mills recently won an Academic Bowl for the first time in 12 years. The winning edge was the school's almost perfect score in science. Ms. Cunningham is currently the Director of the Center for Excellence in STEM Education at Central Michigan University.
2010 University of Wisconsin – Madison, M.S.
1997 University: University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, B.S.
1993 University of Wisconsin - Madison, B.S.
