Chemistry Teacher of the Year Award Winners Archive
Each year, AACT recognizes K–12 educators as the Chemistry Teacher of the Year in their respective grade bands. Through their pedagogy, dedication, skills, and accomplishments, these teachers make outstanding contributions to the chemistry teaching profession and AACT.
2018 Teacher of the Year Award Winners
Elementary School: Rebecca Field
Rebecca teaches 5th grade, including science, at Kolb Elementary School in Bay City, MI. Besides teaching chemistry to her classes, she also teaches them biology, earth science, environmental science, engineering, and physics. Rebecca has been a member of AACT since 2015 and was previously the Elementary School Ambassador. She has written blog posts for AACT, an article for Chemistry Solutions, presented a webinar about K-8 resources, and presented during Teacher Day at the ACS National Meeting. Rebecca has been teaching for more than 20 years and is currently a participant in the Dow Corning Foundation/Saginaw Valley State University Community STEM Partnership Program and a certified Chemical Education Foundation Instructor.
Middle School: Laura Celik
Laura teaches 7th and 8th grade students at Princeton Charter School in Princeton, NJ. In addition to chemistry, Laura also teaches biology, physical science, and computer programming. Laura has been a member of AACT since 2016, and was a participant in the AACT-PPG Chemistry of Color Content Writing Team where she created two chemistry resources for middle school teachers. Laura is co-coach of the regional championship Science Bowl team and runs an after-school Chemistry Club for 7th and 8th grade students at her school.
High School: Kristen Drury
Kristen teaches AP Chemistry and Regents chemistry at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, NY, and joined AACT in 2016. She has written an article about lab techniques for Chemistry Solutions, hosted two webinars about flipped classrooms and POGIL, and presented about the flipped classroom at Teacher Day during an ACS National Meeting. Kristen teaches best practices in science education to new chemistry teachers at Stony Brook University through the New York Master Teacher Program where she promotes AACT and the benefits of finding a like-minded teaching community to share ideas with. Kristen is also a peer-reviewer for Chemistry Solutions and the Journal of Chemical Education.
2019 Teacher of the Year Award Winners
Elementary School: Susan Bickel
Susan teaches Kindergarten through 5th grade at the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Florida. In addition to teaching chemistry, Susan covers biology, earth science, engineering, environmental science, and physics with her students. Susan has been an AACT member since 2016 and has written two articles for Chemistry Solutions and published a lesson plan in the classroom resource library. Susan has been teaching for more than 20 years.
Middle School: Jennifer Smith
Jennifer is an 8th grade general science teacher at Monticello Middle School in Monticello, IL and a member of AACT since 2014. Jennifer has served on several content writing teams, published multiple articles in Chemistry Solutions, led a webinar for K8 teachers, and served as the middle school ambassador on the 2017–2018 AACT Governing Board.
High School: Matt Perekupka
Matt teaches AP chemistry, chemistry, engineering, robotics, and more at Cinnaminson High School in Cinnaminson, NJ and has been an AACT member since 2016. He has published multiple resources in the AACT classroom library, written for Chemistry Solutions, attended two Dow & AACT teacher summits, and was a finalist for High School Ambassador in the 2018–2019 AACT Governing Board Elections. In March, Matt was featured in the AACT member spotlight.
2020 Teacher of the Year Award Winners
Elementary School: Barbara Suszynski
Barbara is the Elementary Science Facilitator with the Katy Independent School District in Katy, Texas, where she teaches science to students from kindergarten through fifth grade at King Elementary. Additionally, she directs an after-school STEM Club and a Science Academy for English Language Learners. During the 2018–19 school year, she served as Elementary School Ambassador on the AACT Governing Board. In addition to being a passionate educator for 16 years, Barbara is a mother, new grandmother, and traveler.
Middle School: Ann Papachronis
Ann has been teaching Middle Division Science at St. Richard’s Episcopal School in Indianapolis, Indiana for nineteen years. She enjoys the wonderful academic environment, dedicated families, and camaraderie between the faculty and staff that is second to none. In 2018, Ann was the recipient of the Gladysmae Good Chemistry Teacher of the Year Award through the American Chemical Society Local Indiana Section. Ann and her husband Matt have three children, all of whom are avid fans of the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts.
High School: Ariel Serkin
Ariel teaches chemistry at Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, MA. Ariel is a charter member of AACT. She hosted a webinar about including all learners in the chemistry classroom and was the local host for the Teacher Day at ACS National Meeting Boston in 2018. Outside of AACT, she is involved with the American Modeling Teachers Association, STEMteachersMassBay, ChemEd Xchange, and the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers. Ariel was a 2019 finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for the state of Massachusetts. You can regularly see Ariel celebrating #nerdytshirtfriday on twitter and wearing #nerdychic whenever she can.
2021 Teacher of the Year Award Winners
Middle School: Pradip Misra
Pradip Misra has been teaching STEM at Bagdad Middle and High School for more than 10 years. He has a Bachelor’s in Physics, Chemistry and Math, a Bachelor of Education with a focus in guidance and counseling, and a Master’s in Physics, and two diplomas in management. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education at William Howard Taft University.
He has been honored with several recognitions, such as Governor’s Celebration of Innovation Teacher of the Year, Yavapai County Teacher of the Year, and Earth Science Teacher of the Year. He is a member of several other teaching organizations, including board positions for the Arizona Science Teachers Association and the National Earth Science Teachers Association. He has been a judge in Arizona Science Fair and an advocate of the International Science and Engineering Fair. When he’s not teaching, he enjoys playing soccer and tennis and climbing mountains.
High School: Aimee Modic
After teaching high school chemistry for 37 years, first in public school and now in an all-girls independent school, chemical education is still Amiee Modic’s passion. Throughout her career, in addition to teaching, she has been actively involved in presenting to, and working with, other chemistry teachers through state and national organizations. She has been an officer in the Associated Chemistry Teachers of Texas (ACT2) for many terms, a southwest regional ambassador for AACT, and two years acting as the liaison between AACT and the ACS Division of Chemical Education.
In addition to her service with ACT2 and AACT Amiee has been active in her local ACS section by presenting workshops, serving on Education and Outreach committees (including NCW and CCEW), and promoting chemical education opportunities in her section and region. At the national level, she was privileged to be the USNCO High School Mentor from 2012–2014 and has been both a presenter and a committee member at BCCE. In 2019, Amiee was honored as an ACS Fellow for her contributions to chemical education. Most recently, she has been involved with the HACH Chemistry Teacher program as a mentor.
While in high school, Chemistry was Amiee’s most beloved class—it is still her passion and she would like to help her students and other chemical educators experience the great things chemistry has to offer. Amiee’s favorite student quote is “I want to put on a hazmat suit, shrink myself, and get inside that container to really watch what is happening!”
2022 Teacher of the Year Award Winners
High School: Ryan Johnson
Ryan Johnson is a chemistry educator at Thomas B. Doherty High School, where he is proud to be a Class of 2000 alumnus. He also teaches general and organic chemistry at Pikes Peak Community College, both in Colorado's beautiful Pikes Peak region. He is passionate about combining his love for chemistry education with experiential learning in Colorado’s mountains, where you can find him when not in the classroom! He is humbled and honored to be named the 2022 AACT Teacher of the Year and is thankful to have discovered this amazing organization as a student-teacher 10 years ago. Learn more about Ryan in his Member Spotlight.
2023 Teacher of the Year Award Winners
K-8: Amy Truemper
Amy teaches 7th and 8th grade science at Bednarcik Junior High School in Aurora, IL. Along with chemistry, she also teaches physical science, life science, and engineering. Amy started her teaching career 22 years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho, Southern Africa. Without many materials and without access to the internet for ideas, she learned how to teach chemistry using creative methods that still resonate with students today. Her students participate in the Beauty and Charm program through Fermilab which has helped inspire students to pursue degrees in chemical and nuclear engineering. As an EarthEcho Fellow, she helped with the curriculum writing for Water by Design which connects chemistry with earth science topics. She is currently part of the American Nuclear Society K–12 Education Advisory Group. Bednarcik Junior High became one of the first middle schools to participate in the AACT ChemClub Program during the 2022–23 school year, and the club had a blast with the monthly themes. Outside of teaching middle school science, Amy enjoys traveling, nature photography, and learning more about sustainability. A highlight of her career was receiving the Fulbright DAST Award in 2022 and traveling to northern Vietnam to teach STEM lessons to students and teachers.
High School: Melissa Hemling
Melissa has been teaching Chemistry and AP Chemistry for 20 years, with 13 years in her current position at Beaver Dam High School in Wisconsin. She is a National Board-certified teacher passionate about making chemistry accessible to all students. She started a “Puentes a STEM” club at her school, where she helped underserved populations get excited about science by pairing Hispanic high school students with Hispanic STEM mentors at the local university. Melissa is also enthusiastic about bringing the real world into her classroom. Through her work with the AACT Science Coaches program, Melissa's students participate in citizen-science projects in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and cancer research. As an AP Chemistry WE Service instructor, Melissa helps her students positively impact their local community through chemistry-related social justice projects each year. She spends her spare time as a contributing author and presenter for AACT, High School POGIL Initiative, and ChemEdX. Melissa won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for the state of Wisconsin in 2009, Beaver Dam Unified School District Teacher of the Year in 2013, and Wisconsin FIRST Lego Robotics Coach of the Year in 2022. When not in school, Melissa enjoys traveling with her supportive husband and three active school-aged children.
2024 Teacher of the Year Award
K-8: Carrie Jones
Carrie Jones is a current North Carolina classroom teacher with 25 years of experience. She has a B.S. in Biology and M.Ed in Science Education from Ohio State University, in addition to a M.Ed in Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati, a PhD from NC State in Science Education, and a MS in Biological Sciences from Clemson University. She is National Board Certified in AYA Science. She enjoys writing grants and participating in innovative school projects such as Kitchen Chemistry club and STEM Jewelry club. She is the Middle Level Director for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). She currently teaches 8th grade science at Dillard Drive Magnet Middle School in Raleigh and is an Adjunct Professor with East Carolina University.
High School: Victoria Perrone
Victoria Perrone is a chemistry teacher and the Director of Student Life and BU Partnerships at Boston University Academy, an independent high school integrated with Boston University. She oversees all BUA student clubs and events and develops connections and programming with BU departments across campus. Victoria earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Secondary Education from Emmanuel College in 2014. She received her Master’s in Education Leadership and Policy at Boston University in 2018, and her MBA, specializing in Leadership and Organizational Transformation, from BU’s Questrom School of Business in 2021. Before joining BUA, Victoria taught chemistry at Shrewsbury Senior High School in Shrewsbury, MA. Victoria has published articles in the field of high school chemistry education, including in AACT's Chemistry Solutions. Victoria is passionate about science communication and STEM equity and works to integrate these topics into her teaching so that her students can better see themselves reflected in the chemistry curriculum.
2025 Teacher of the Year Award
High School: Nora Walsh
Nora Walsh teaches on-level, honors, and AP Chemistry at FJ Reitz High School in Evansville, IN. She has bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from Emory University and a master's degree in secondary science education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is an associate editor for Chemical Education Xchange, an AP Chemistry reader, an AP Chemistry Mentor, and has presented several webinars for ChemEd X and the American Association of Chemistry Teachers. She is also a 2023 and 2025 PAEMST Finalist for Indiana. She is passionate about supporting teachers on their journey to take their existing classrooms and evolve them to meet new challenges and better meet students where they are. She is invigorated by collaboration and is very active in teacher learning networks on social media, including X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Follow her @reitzchemistry.