DCSD Teacher Laura McCreery Receives Prestigious National and State Awards for Excellence in Education
Davenport North High School teacher, Laura McCreery, has been honored with two prestigious awards for her exceptional contributions to education. She was selected as one of only six Iowa educators to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), one of the highest national honors for K-12 STEM educators. This recognition, awarded by the White House, celebrates outstanding teaching in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As a PAEMST awardee, McCreery will receive a $10,000 prize from the National Science Foundation, a certificate signed by the President, and a trip to Washington, D.C., for recognition events and professional development opportunities.
In addition to the PAEMST honor, McCreery was awarded the Bohumil Shimek Educator Award by the Iowa Association of Naturalists (IAN) and the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition (ICEC). This award recognizes her outstanding efforts in environmental education. Over her 21-year career, McCreery has inspired her students to engage with and care for the environment through hands-on projects and leadership roles in environmental clubs. From reducing single-use plastics at Davenport North to collaborating with local organizations like River Action and Living Lands & Waters, her impact extends well beyond the classroom.
McCreery has been a life science educator for the past 20 years at North High School. She serves as the Department Chair and has taught a variety of subjects including Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Forensics, Anatomy and Physiology, Advanced Placement Biology, and dual enrollment Environmental Science. She is known for her dynamic and enthusiastic teaching style, incorporating project-based and place-based learning. This year students in her classroom had the opportunity to research, develop, and present solutions to a neighboring city to reduce their stormwater runoff problem. The city planner has written a grant to implement some of their recommended solutions.
Laura has served as a member of the Iowa Watershed Project School Pilot for Project Based Learning and has developed several place-based phenomena lessons for the Iowa Science Phenomena. She is also the sponsor of the science bowl team, the environmental club “Green Team”, the envirothon team, and Junior Optimist International service club. Laura has publications in the Iowa Science Teachers Journal on her experience with the Center for Whale Research and in Aquatic Mammals for her thesis on crabeater seal vocalizations.
Reflecting on her achievement, McCreery said, "Earning this award means that I have elevated my teaching to a level that is distinguished. I am a highly-reflective teacher and am constantly revising and trying new things to improve student success. Earning this award validates all of my hard work and dedication to the profession. I look forward to the prestige that this award will bring to my school, the opportunities to continue to improve my teaching, and the networking opportunities that will further science education with my students."