St. Paul teacher earns Presidential Award for STEM teaching

David McGill, a science teacher at Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been awarded the 2018 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. (SPPS)

David McGill, a science teacher at Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been awarded the 2018 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. This is the highest honor for STEM teachers awarded by the United States government.

The awards were established by Congress in 1983, allowing the President of the United States to recognize up to 108 teachers each year. St. Paul Public Schools is well-represented in these awards, with one-third of award recipients over the past 17 years coming from SPPS.

The award recognizes teachers with deep knowledge of the subjects and the ability to motivate and enable students to be successful in those areas.

“To me, receiving the Presidential Award has been an opportunity to challenge myself in all aspects of my practice,” McGill said in a reaction statement. “It pushed me to think carefully about everything I do in the classroom: my goals, skill sets, strengths, weaknesses, and overall effectiveness as a teacher. At the end, there is no doubt I came out a better teacher from all the effort.”

Kevin McGill PAEMST

David McGill receives the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. (Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching)

McGill will be recognized for his PAEMST achievement at the regularly-scheduled St. Paul Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17.