Schools

Hazelwood West High Math Teacher State Finalist for National Award

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education selected Jennifer Baker, a math teacher at Hazelwood West High School, as a state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching program.

Jennifer Baker, a math teacher at was selected to be a state-level finalist for the Presidential Awards' Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) program.

The selection came via the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“This award is very humbling,” Baker said in a (HSD) statement. “I have always tried to inspire my students the way I have been inspired by educators...and I hope I have done so.”

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Baker began her career with the as a junior high math teacher in 1985, according to the statement. She started teaching high school math eight years later. She is also National Board Certified, and is the past-president of Math Educators of Greater St. Louis.

As a state-level finalist, Baker qualifies for national recognition. A committee of math educators, teachers and past awardees will choose national PAEMST winners at a meeting in Washington, D.C.

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The White House will contact award winners. They also receive $10,000.

“I feel I am already a winner," Baker said. "If I win this award, I feel it is as much a reflection on the Hazelwood family as it is on me."


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