When Salisbury Middle School science teacher Chad Pavlekovich was just a first-grader, he became fascinated with all things dinosaur during his school’s Dinosaur Daze celebration. Little did he know that dinosaurs would provide the spark for the love of science and learning that, decades later, now guides an approach to teaching that has made him the 2011-12 Wicomico Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
“My childhood sense of wonderment and excitement is now prevalent within my classroom through the lessons that I experience with my students,” Pavlekovich said. “The little boy is back as a teacher who is sparking the scientific interest in students. In the back of my room, I have a 3-D cardboard dinosaur hanging from the ceiling as a reminder of my humble beginning and what could have been my ‘extinction’ as a scientist. It is a personal symbol of commitment to my students.”
Pavlekovich’s interest in science stayed with him, but it did not lead him straight into a career as a science teacher. Entering college with plans to become a doctor, he found he couldn’t master calculus and realized he needed to choose another career. To pay the bills, he took a job performing water quality testing in a wastewater treatment plant. “During those lonely days in the lab, I often thought back to my excitement as a young student and how I would like to be able to give other children the opportunity to have the same life-changing experience with the wonders of science.” He began doing just that in 2001, when he began working as a science teacher at Salisbury Middle School.
During the past 10 years at Salisbury Middle, Pavlekovich’s enthusiasm for science has benefitted the students in his classes and students and families throughout the school. He worked with a team to create the first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Academy in Wicomico County; he continues to serve as its science teacher and as a lead STEM teacher. He engages eighth-graders in an annual Punkin Chunkin, blending physics and fun. He leads the planning for annual family nights that drew several hundred participants for activities on astronomy and crime scene investigation. In 2009, he was recognized as the Teacher of the Year, Excellence in Middle School Science, by the Maryland Association of Science Teachers. He was named the 2011-12 Wicomico Teacher of the Year last March, and learned in August that he was a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
At Friday night’s Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala in Baltimore, Pavlekovich and the other six finalists, as well as the other county teachers of the year, will be celebrated for their passion for teaching. The 2011-2012 Maryland Teacher of the Year will be announced at about 9:30 p.m. during this gala reception and dinner at Martin’s West in Baltimore. The winner will receive cash awards, technology equipment, national travel opportunities, and a new car valued at more than $25,000, donated by the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association.
Wicomico is proud of its 2011-12 state finalist and of the school system’s record of educational excellence, with two past Maryland Teachers of the Year (Bonnie Walston and Aaron Deal) working to support the success of Wicomico County students.
“My childhood sense of wonderment and excitement is now prevalent within my classroom through the lessons that I experience with my students,” Pavlekovich said. “The little boy is back as a teacher who is sparking the scientific interest in students. In the back of my room, I have a 3-D cardboard dinosaur hanging from the ceiling as a reminder of my humble beginning and what could have been my ‘extinction’ as a scientist. It is a personal symbol of commitment to my students.”
Pavlekovich’s interest in science stayed with him, but it did not lead him straight into a career as a science teacher. Entering college with plans to become a doctor, he found he couldn’t master calculus and realized he needed to choose another career. To pay the bills, he took a job performing water quality testing in a wastewater treatment plant. “During those lonely days in the lab, I often thought back to my excitement as a young student and how I would like to be able to give other children the opportunity to have the same life-changing experience with the wonders of science.” He began doing just that in 2001, when he began working as a science teacher at Salisbury Middle School.
During the past 10 years at Salisbury Middle, Pavlekovich’s enthusiasm for science has benefitted the students in his classes and students and families throughout the school. He worked with a team to create the first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Academy in Wicomico County; he continues to serve as its science teacher and as a lead STEM teacher. He engages eighth-graders in an annual Punkin Chunkin, blending physics and fun. He leads the planning for annual family nights that drew several hundred participants for activities on astronomy and crime scene investigation. In 2009, he was recognized as the Teacher of the Year, Excellence in Middle School Science, by the Maryland Association of Science Teachers. He was named the 2011-12 Wicomico Teacher of the Year last March, and learned in August that he was a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
At Friday night’s Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala in Baltimore, Pavlekovich and the other six finalists, as well as the other county teachers of the year, will be celebrated for their passion for teaching. The 2011-2012 Maryland Teacher of the Year will be announced at about 9:30 p.m. during this gala reception and dinner at Martin’s West in Baltimore. The winner will receive cash awards, technology equipment, national travel opportunities, and a new car valued at more than $25,000, donated by the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association.
Wicomico is proud of its 2011-12 state finalist and of the school system’s record of educational excellence, with two past Maryland Teachers of the Year (Bonnie Walston and Aaron Deal) working to support the success of Wicomico County students.
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