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Award Notification:  Nicki Derryberry (AZ '15)

STEM Teacher Nicki Derryberry Wins AZ Milken Educator Award

Nicki Derryberry, who teaches biotechnology at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona, takes a highly creative approach to teaching. She operates her classroom like a business; groups of students work at stations and are responsible for their own equipment and materials. Derryberry captivated the entire school when she created "the mystery of the missing mountain lion" (the school mascot), complete with a crime scene. Derryberry’s biomedical science students "solved" the case by collecting DNA samples, analyzing shoe prints and testing hypotheses.

A dedicated mentor to both students and fellow teachers, Derryberry clearly loves what she does and holds her students to the highest standards. "You guys make my day every day," she told the students gathered in the gym for her surprise Milken Educator Award assembly. "And I am so excited to see what you all do in the future."

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  Nicki Derryberry (AZ '15)
  Mesa, AZ
  Nov 16, 2015
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  Michelle Ryan (MA '15)
  Randolph, MA
  Nov 13, 2015
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  Peter Arseneault (CT '15)
  Colchester, CT
  Nov 12, 2015
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  Misty Ayres-Miranda (TN '15)
  Nashville, TN
  Nov 10, 2015
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  Lauren Jensen (NY '15)
  Glen Cove, NY
  Nov 04, 2015
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  Ryan Moore (CO '15)
  Pueblo West, CO
  Oct 29, 2015
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  Chandler Smith (LA '15)
  Plaquemine, LA
  Oct 28, 2015
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  Jessica Major (LA '15)
  Port Allen , LA
  Oct 28, 2015
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  John Lary (LA '15)
  Shreveport, LA
  Oct 27, 2015
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  William Smithyman (KS '15)
  Overland Park, KS
  Oct 26, 2015
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  Courtney Matulka (NE '15)
  Omaha, NE
  Oct 21, 2015
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  Gina Benz (SD '15)
  Sioux Falls, SD
  Oct 20, 2015
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  Eric Patin (NC '15)
  Bear Creek, NC
  Oct 15, 2015