School of Education

Department Spotlight

Whitworth Alumnus Named 2005 Presidential Award Winner for Teaching

Loren Ayresman, MIT '98, recently received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Ayresman, who also holds Whitworth degrees in business management and mathematics ('95 and '97, respectively), was the honoree for the state of Hawaii, where he teaches math at King Kekaulike High School. "It's a testament to my excellent professors in the Whitworth MIT program, and to the power of the Almighty Lord, that I was the awardee," he says.

Ayresman says the most important part of teaching mathematics is to make the subject relevant to the lives of students. "[Because I teach] mathematics in a way that is integrated with other disciplines and teach content that is not ordinarily covered in high school," he says, "my students feel empowered to be successful in mathematics and successful in life."

The Presidential Awards for Excellence were established in 1983 by an act of Congress and are administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation. Each year the program recognizes outstanding mathematics and science teachers from across the United States for their contributions in the classroom and to their professions. In addition to honoring individual achievement, the awards program seeks to expand and exemplify the definition of excellent science and mathematics teaching. The 2005 awardees were honored at an event in the national's capital, where they were introduced to President George Bush.