Photo courtesy of Heather Hurt
Heather Hurt teaches fifth grade at Vestavia Hills Elementary East.
Heather Hurt, a fifth grade teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East, has been selected as one of six finalists from Alabama for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching this year.
Hurt was one of three finalists for the math category. Others were Ashley Dark from Gwin Elementary School in Hoover and Shandra Upchurch from Riverton Elementary School in Huntsville.
The other three teachers chosen as finalists were selected for their science teaching. Those teachers are Melody Greene of Berry Middle School in Hoover, Maegan Gayle of Hutchens Elementary School in Mobile and Mary Brennan of Pelham Oaks Elementary School in Pelham.
There typically are 60 to 75 teachers from Alabama nominated for this award each year, and only two will be selected, said Charlene Dindo, a retired teacher who won the science award in 2001 and now works as the mentor director for the program for the Alabama Department of Education.
Hurt and the other finalists now forward information about themselves to the National Science Foundation, which administers the award program for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. A team from the National Science Foundation will review the applications and make a recommendation to the White House, which will make the final decision, Dindo said.
Hurt has worked for Vestavia Hills City Schools for 11 years. In 2018, she won the prestigious National Milken Educator Award, and then she was named the Vestavia Hills Elementary Teacher of the Year during the 2020-21 school year.
