THE SOUTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

presents

The 2008 Award for Excellence

In Secondary School Science Discovery

To

Lisa C. Rose

Teacher of Biology

White Knoll High School

Lexington, S.C.

  Mrs. Rose received a BS in Biology from USC in 1997. A National Board Certified teacher, she also holds ADEPT and AP certifications. Here effectiveness is reflected by her students' successes. They achieved a 93% pass rate on the AP College Boards for the last six years, and the districts' highest end of course test scores for Biology.
  Mrs. Rose's creativity is evidenced throughout her teaching, and her students are engaged in meaningful inquiry-based labs on a regular basis. For example, her "opposable thumb" lab required students to accomplish their school day without the use of their thumbs. Through collaboration with Mr. Glassman in English, students did a creative writing exercise on their experiences. Mrs. Rose also arranged for a musician who uses frog vocalizations in his compositions to perform for students to demonstrate how a love of science can be incorporated into any field of study.
  Enrichment activities outside of the classroom include field studies at Riverbanks Zoo, Ripley's Aquarium and MUSC's Models in Medicine Program. Her students participate in a school program linking Biology to Fine Arts. Speakers have come to her classroom from SC's DHEC and Natural Resources Agencies, and the Greenwood Genetic Center. So have former students who model applications of Biology after high school, and their successes provide inspiration to current students. Every semester Mrs. Rose reads a fiction and non-fiction book such as Cobra Event or Fever 1779 to her classes, exemplifying the impact of sciences on every day life, not just the classroom.
  Mrs. Rose participates in more than a dozen school and community activities ranging from curriculum development and advising to philanthropies such as Multiple Sclerosis, Relay for Life and Toys for Tots. She serves St. Michael's Child Development Center and other church activities. Professionally, she has presented at recent SC Science Council conventions, Lexington District One Instructional Fairs, and last summer at the High Schools That Work National Convention in New Orleans. It is noteworthy that she also attended workshops which provided her with enrichment ideas and activities to bring back to White Knoll.
  As a result, Mrs. Rose has been nominated for Teacher of the year at her school and twice nominated for the Presidential Award for Excellence by her District Science Coordinator. Colleagues point out that her students are motivated because Mrs. Rose makes her class an adventure. Her principal points out, " What is often overheard from Lisa's students is...I never liked science until I had Mrs. Rose".
  It is therefore appropriate that this wonderful teacher be recognized by the SCAS for her innovation and effectiveness in the classroom, her dedicated service to school and community, and her ability to impart to her students an understanding of science as a way of knowing about the world. Mrs. Lisa Rose is hereby named the 2008 Awardee for Excellence in Science Discovery.