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Sarah Vann is currently serving as the Director of Secondary Instructional Services for Owasso Public Schools. She served as the Principal of Hodson Elementary for five years. She obtained an Ed.D in School Administration in December of 2021, and hopes to continue to be an advocate for teachers and students in Oklahoma. At the time of the award, Sarah Vann’s passion for science permeated the Owasso Eighth Grade Center. Endeavoring to ingrain this zest in her students, Vann reached out to those who are struggling and sparked their interest in learning. She used assessments and benchmarks to direct instruction, integrated technology such as the SMART Board, and is creative in teaching the material. Vann fostered critical thinking by having students view their work through a lens of objectivity. Known for employing creative instructional skills in the classroom, Vann’s fervor for the field doesn’t stop there. She interacted with the entire population of her 700-student school by trading classes with other science teachers in the building. Her student achievement results were "remarkable," with 95 percent of students scoring proficient and 34 percent scoring advanced on Oklahoma’s 2010 science exam. Even among the economically disadvantaged, 90 percent were proficient or above. And of the 18 students with Individual Education Programs (IEPs), all but two scored above proficient in eighth-grade science. She hopes to continue to infuse her love for science education by helping teachers in the elementary setting integrate science into their curriculum. She works with teachers in her district and across the state by providing professional development and support. National Board Certified, (2006-2016) Vann mentors other teachers going through the certification process. She was a member of the State Superintendent’s Master Teacher Project, science department chair, mentor for new science teachers and head of the Curriculum and Technology committees.