'It's you!': Ankeny elementary teacher surprised at school assembly with Iowa STEM award

Chris Higgins, Des Moines Register
·2 min read

A big surprise was brewing for an Ankeny teacher when she came to school earlier this week.

Kristen Recher, a fifth-grade teacher at Northeast Elementary, was recognized by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' STEM Advisory Council for the south-central region. The annual award honors six teachers who work to inspire a passion for science, technology, engineering and math with their students.

Recher walked into what she thought was a different kind of assembly Monday morning, and a million other names went through her head when it was starting to become clear what the event was really about before she was announced as the council's honoree. The school made sure that Recher's family members were in attendance. She'd been nominated by fellow teacher Kelsey Speer.

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Ankeny teacher Kristen Recher received an award recognizing her commitment to STEM education on Monday. From left to right are: Alice Pareti of Kemin Industries; Sarah Derry, South Central Regional Manager for the STEM Council; Kristen Recher; Kelsey Speer, fellow fifth grade teacher who nominated Recher for the award; and Laura Ryan, Northeast Elementary principal.

Recher told the Des Moines Register that she's fortunate to work at a school and with a team that is as passionate about STEM as hers is. Recher said her students found out at the same time she did, whispering in her ear, "It's you! It's you!"

"They were a part of that," Recher said. "Their work and passion was a part of that."

The award, which is sponsored by Kemin Industries, comes with $1,500 for Recher's classroom and $1,500 for her personal use. Some possibilities for the money include boosting a maker's space for students and snagging more STEM-related books for her classroom's shelves.

According to a news release, Recher works to incorporate STEM into her teaching as she teaches all subjects by having students use technology to tell stories and do research to support ideas in a debate or explore how math might play a role in their future careers. Recher also includes reading materials with diverse representation about STEM careers. According to the release, one of her lessons about Mount Everest included hands-on learning that involved students exploring the resources needed to climb.

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Recher is currently working toward a STEM endorsement and works with other educators on how to incorporate STEM into her curriculum.

Principal Laura Ryan said Recher works hard to provide STEM activities for students in her classroom who are beginning to see themselves as scientists, engineers and so on.

"They're being creative and innovative and taking risks," Ryan said.

Recher will be further recognized at the Iowa State Fair this summer.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ankeny Northeast Elementary teacher surprised with Iowa STEM award