Pepperman visited with Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander during the trip for the honorees.

Award recipients with Vice President Cheney

NSF Director Arden Bement and Dr. Cora Marrett, the Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources at the National Science Foundation, present Pepperman with her award.

Bearden Middle School teacher receives Presidential Award for Excellence

Julie Pepperman Bearden Middle School Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teacher

Date: 05/01/2008

Bearden Middle School physical science teacher Julie Pepperman is one of 99 educators presented the annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in Washington this past week. The teachers were recognized in an award's ceremony as the nation's best seventh through twelfth grade teachers.

Awardees are selected from mathematics and science teachers in all 50 States and the District of Columbia, with the competition alternating each year between kindergarten through sixth grade teachers and seventh through twelfth grade teachers.

After an initial selection process at the state level, a national panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators recommend teachers to receive the Presidential Awards.

The awards are administered by the National Science Foundation.

Each award recipient receives a $10,000 educational grant to be used at his or her discretion over a three-year period, and an all expense paid trip for two to Washington D.C. to accept the certificate. The teachers were in the Nation's capital from April 28-May 3, to receive the award and participate in a variety of educational and celebratory events.

The award was established in 1983 by the Education for Economic Security Act and is given annually to math and science teachers across the United States who make outstanding contributions to their students and schools.

Pepperman teaches eighth-grade physical science at Bearden Middle School. She has taught at Bearden for five years. Previously she was a middle school teacher and science department head elsewhere in Tennessee and Alabama.

She is the sponsor of the Science Olympiad team, which often wins State competitions. She also serves on the school’s mentoring team and previously acted as its chair. Recently she was a standards facilitator for the school’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools evaluation. Pepperman serves as a model trainer for the school district and offers teaching that integrates best practices with science education.

Pepperman is known for her creativity, innovation, and dependability. She is conscientious and has excellent rapport with students and staff. Parents appreciate her exceptional communication skills and hold deep respect and admiration for her abilities. Students know she takes a sincere interest in them personally and in their future. She helps students who are challenged to move forward with their educational pursuits.

Pepperman holds PRAXIS certification as a middle school teacher (all subjects) and as a beginning administrator. She has a B.A. in elementary education and an M.A. in educational administration from the University of New Orleans.