Shorewood teacher honored by National Association of Geoscience Teachers

Andrew Bagley, Shorewood teacher
Named 2015 Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year
for Pacific Northwest Section

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) recently honored Shorewood High School Science Teacher Andrew Bagley as the as their 2015 Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year for the Pacific Northwest Section.

The prestigious honor is awarded to 10 teachers annually, each representing a different region of the United States and Canada. The group’s Pacific Northwest Section includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

Although he also teaches other areas of science, such as physics, Bagley is quick to mention that geology has been his passion since college. He also points out that the Pacific Northwest is the perfect place to teach what he loves.

 “I take pride to showcase Pacific Northwest geology. Our region has just about every major geologic phenomenon covered in the introductory textbooks… it is easy to look out the window instead of relying on typical PowerPoint slides.”

Bagley has also been credited with promoting higher-level geology courses in the high school. This has led to increased opportunities for students to take geology courses that resemble college courses or offer college credit.

“It has been immensely satisfying to give my students a dose of genuine college-level geology, and use local resources and opportunities to help them gain an understanding of the geologic region in which they live,” said Bagley.

Bagley was nominated for the award by Tahoma High School Science Teacher Dale Lehman, who wrote,

“Andrew has a passion for teaching geoscience to high school students. He inspires students' interest in the Earth through dynamic, interactive instruction in the classroom and by providing students with hands-on field learning.  Andrew has been a strong advocate for learning ‘in the field’ and has won the support of his school district to provide support for fieldwork for high school students. I have known Andrew since he began teaching geology at Shorewood 13 years ago. I admire his limitless energy and his dedication to his students.”