Apr. 11—Maria Sellers, a South Vermillion Community School Corp. educator, is receiving statewide recognition for her efforts to advance computer science education in Indiana.

She has been named the inaugural Nextech Computer Science Teacher of the Year, according to an announcement from the nonprofit, which works to to create equitable access to computer science education for K-12 students in Indiana.

The award recognizes educators "whose achievements advance the education of students beyond the mere use of technology," according to a news release.

They go above and beyond to inspire students to view computer science in a new light, engage students in disciplined computer science curriculum aligned with Indiana standards and create opportunities for all students to participate, according to the release.

Sellers began her career as a music teacher but found her calling in computer science, a discipline she has championed as an educator and coach.

She has taught in the South Vermillion Community School Corp. in Clinton since 2003. For her first 10 years, she taught music to elementary students.

In 2012, she reached back to her own middle school experience with computer science and became an eLearning specialist. She returned to the middle school classroom to teach computer science in 2016.

It did not take long for her to realize the corporation's good technology intentions needed to be expanded, and thus began her campaign, in her words, "to drive the CS bus," and ensure it stopped for students of all ages, according to the release.

Her enthusiasm paid off in 2016 when Sellers began teaching computer science at the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade levels.

She eventually brought computer science courses to all grades K-8. In 2021, computer science was expanded to the high school.

"Maria's enthusiasm for computer science cannot be contained to her own classroom or even her own school corporation," said Nextech President Karen Jung. "She's helped train more than 200 Indiana educators, expanding computer science throughout the state."

Additionally, Sellers coaches the South Vermillion middle school Vex Robotics Teams, which has experienced competition on the world stage. She also coaches the 4-H Tech Changemakers Club, the Girls Who Code Club, and the CodeCats Club, and is a computer science fundamentals facilitator for Code.org and Nextech.

In 2021, two of Sellers' teams from South Vermillion Middle School were among eight schools statewide to have computer science projects highlighted at the Indiana Statehouse as part of the Nextech CSforGood Showcase.

In 2022, Sellers' eighth graders participated in Project Lead The Way App Creators, a nonprofit organization that provides transformative learning experiences for PreK-12 students and teachers across the U.S.

Two groups from that effort were chosen to present at the Indiana CSforGood competition and took home first and second place wins. Another team from Sellers' seventh grade Project Lead the Way Computer Science for Innovators and Makers made it to the CSforGood finals as well.

The high school-level iCats group (the school's nickname is the Wildcats) focuses on computer science careers and serves as the school's troubleshooting department, repairing iPad software issues and helping teachers implement technology in the classroom.

Jung said Sellers is the perfect teacher to win the inaugural Computer Science Teacher of the Year award.

"Maria is a force of nature," Jung said. "Her work with these students — and teachers throughout Indiana — will have ripple effects for generations and help Indiana fill its huge demand for highly skilled tech talent."

Sellers will be honored during TechPoint's 24th annual Mira Awards gala recognizing the best of tech in Indiana.

TechPoint, a nonprofit, is the state's growth initiative for the digital economy. It works to expand the talent pipeline and partners with Nextech.