MSMS mathematics teacher Carrie “Shae” Koenigsberger won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), announced by the Office of Academic Affairs on Oct. 16. She attended the national ceremony in Washington, D.C. from Oct. 18 to Oct. 22 to accept the award.

According to the National Science Foundation, the PAEMST are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics and/or computer science teaching. The awards were established by Congress in 1983, recognizing up to 108 exemplary teachers each year.

The selection process takes over two years. First, a teacher, principal, student or parent must nominate an individual who teaches one of the subjects previously listed. Next, the teacher must submit a video of a lesson, demonstrating his or her ability at teaching. The state selection committee then chooses a teacher as a finalist, and that teacher’s application is sent to the national selection committee.

Koenigsberger was very excited when she received the news.

“The moment I found out I was a state finalist, I honestly thought it was a mistake and I was reading the confusingly-written email incorrectly,” Koenigsberger said. “But the moment I found out I was a national awardee, which was about a year and a half later, I was in the mall at Tupelo. I saw the email that said I was ‘unofficially’ the winner. I began jumping and screaming in disbelief! At the end of email, it read that I could only tell immediate family, so I couldn’t tell the friends I was with at the mall. I had to keep this secret for a year. It was so hard.”

Each Presidential Awardee receives a certificate signed by the current President of the United States and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. They travel to the recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C. and attend conferences held to discuss policies on improving and innovating the field of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“The ceremony was probably one of the most incredible experiences of my career. I felt honored to represent Mississippi, my family, my spouse, but mostly my students,” Koenigsberger said. “I did not get to meet President Trump, which was rather disappointing, but I did receive a signed certificate from him, which is really cool.”

Despite running on a tight schedule, Koenigsberger enjoyed her time in Washington, D.C.

“We stayed in the hotel that President Ronald Reagan got shot. I got to enjoy meals and conversations with teachers from Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, St. Thomas, Peru, Kentucky, Wisconsin and several other states,” Koenigsberger said. “[On] the last day, I had a few hours to explore, so I went to the American History Museum and the Lincoln Memorial. My favorite was seeing the red ruby slippers from Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ a favorite childhood movie.”

Koenigsberger left the crowded streets of D.C. and returned home eager to teach students about her biggest (and award-winning) passion: math.