Tech Ed Teacher Presented with Excellence Award by State Org.

Conner demonstrates the safe use of a scroll saw to fifth grade students during an after-school elementary

engineering program that he helped design and lead at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School.

Jeff Conner, a Technology Education teacher at Fugett Middle School in the West Chester Area School District, has received the Technology and Engineering Education Association of Pennsylvania’s (TEEAP) Middle School Teacher Excellence Award.

The award, which was presented on November 11 during TEEAP’s 64th annual conference, is one of the highest honors given to technology and engineering education classroom teachers, and is presented in recognition of the recipient’s outstanding contributions to the profession and to their students.

“I was shocked when I heard the news, because there are so many great educators across the state and to be recognized by TEEAP is truly an honor,” said Conner. “I hope that this award will help people see the great things our students are doing in our Technology and Engineering Education program here at Fugett Middle School and throughout the entire West Chester Area School District.”

Recipients of the award are selected on the basis of their demonstrated abilities in the classroom, and should be perceived by peers and colleagues as a superior teacher. Award recipients should be committed to seeking and participating in professional development opportunities, and should also contribute to the profession through on-going service.

Conner currently teaches technology and engineering education to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at Fugett Middle School, where he has taught for the past seven years. In his classroom, he offers problem-solving based learning opportunities through the utilization of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) principals. He takes pride in offering a safe and welcoming learning environment for his students, and differentiates his instruction in an effort to meet the needs of the school’s diverse student population. Through their work in his classroom, Conner’s students explore the world of technology and frequently make real-world connections while thinking in a global context. Students leave his classroom inspired and equipped to become lifelong learners.

“Teaching students to be creative problem solvers through integrative STEM activities is my passion,” added Conner, “and I look forward to coming to school every day to help inspire our students to achieve their personal best.”

The International Technology and Engineering Education Association will formally honor Conner for his receipt of the TEEAP’s Middle School Teacher Excellence Award at a ceremony in March of 2017.

For more information, please contact Tracey Dukert, Digital Communications Coordinator for the West Chester Area School District, at tdukert@wcasd.net or 484-266-1170.

Using a grant funded by the West Chester Area Education Foundation, Conner installed a wind turbine
on the roof of Fugett Middle School that powers a laptop charging station inside the school for students.